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Posted: 7/20/2016 8:24:18 PM EDT
[#1]
It's been four weeks since I was last in my hive. That was when I added the third box. In a month they have drawn out very little of the third box. It has been hotter than hell here so I'm hoping it is just a dearth. They have been collecting something that is very bright. I found it in all three boxes. Hummingbird feeder?
I accidentally dropped a frame while going through the 1st box so I didn't get a chance to finish my inspection. Glad I opted to wear gloves today, they were pissed Lots of capped/uncapped brood, honey and pollen in the second box. Hoping there are eggs down in the first. The local bee inspectors are doing free bee health inspections for the next couple of weeks. I have a guy from the state coming out on the 8th to take a look and hopefully give me some pointers. 
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Posted: 7/20/2016 8:29:12 PM EDT
[Last Edit: medicmandan]
[#2]
A friend sent me this article from 2013:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/04/red-honey-in-utah-may-come-from-candy-fed-bees.html SALT LAKE CITY – What appears to be red honey is showing up in some Utah beehives and state officials say it may be coming from bugs feasting on candy cane byproduct.
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food officials say they've received several complaints about the odd-colored goo in hives in Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties. They say the bees were apparently fed the byproduct that came from a candy factory. Officials say they don't have any reason to call the red substance unsafe, but advise beekeepers not to mix it with normal-colored honey and to report it to the state. Regulators are investigating whether the substance can be considered honey. Beehive State standards define honey as a product that originates from a floral source. |
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Posted: 7/20/2016 8:56:01 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan:
It's been four weeks since I was last in my hive. That was when I added the third box. In a month they have drawn out very little of the third box. It has been hotter than hell here so I'm hoping it is just a dearth. They have been collecting something that is very bright. I found it in all three boxes. Hummingbird feeder? I accidentally dropped a frame while going through the 1st box so I didn't get a chance to finish my inspection. Glad I opted to wear gloves today, they were pissed Lots of capped/uncapped brood, honey and pollen in the second box. Hoping there are eggs down in the first. The local bee inspectors are doing free bee health inspections for the next couple of weeks. I have a guy from the state coming out on the 8th to take a look and hopefully give me some pointers. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=90340 Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale 
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Posted: 7/20/2016 8:59:45 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
nm think I got my signals mixed up. If you only have drone brood, that means she's a virgin queen, doesn't it? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
nm think I got my signals mixed up. If you think that they may have a Queen, especially one that has just emerged, I would start feeding now and go in as little as possible for the next couple of weeks.
The more that you go in, the more likely the chance that they could turn on her or you could roll her. If after a thorough inspection in a few weeks, you see either a queen or larvae/ eggs or capped brood, keep feeding them and hope for the best. If you don't see any signs of a queen in a few weeks, there is really not much you can do. If you by chance see a ton of Drone Brood, that would mean that you have a laying worker hive. If you only have drone brood, that means she's a virgin queen, doesn't it? A laying worker hive would have one or multiple bees laying unfertilized eggs which will be drones. I had one hive last year that became a laying worker hive and I ended up shaking them out away from the bee yard. Some people have sucess requeening them and most will report that they lose the new queens. For me it is not worth the agrevation and would not even try requeening them. A tell tale sign is nothing but drone brood in the hive. |
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Posted: 7/20/2016 9:20:15 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
A laying worker hive would have one or multiple bees laying unfertilized eggs which will be drones. I had one hive last year that became a laying worker hive and I ended up shaking them out away from the bee yard. Some people have sucess requeening them and most will report that they lose the new queens. For me it is not worth the agrevation and would not even try requeening them. A tell tale sign is nothing but drone brood in the hive. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
nm think I got my signals mixed up. If you think that they may have a Queen, especially one that has just emerged, I would start feeding now and go in as little as possible for the next couple of weeks.
The more that you go in, the more likely the chance that they could turn on her or you could roll her. If after a thorough inspection in a few weeks, you see either a queen or larvae/ eggs or capped brood, keep feeding them and hope for the best. If you don't see any signs of a queen in a few weeks, there is really not much you can do. If you by chance see a ton of Drone Brood, that would mean that you have a laying worker hive. If you only have drone brood, that means she's a virgin queen, doesn't it? A laying worker hive would have one or multiple bees laying unfertilized eggs which will be drones. I had one hive last year that became a laying worker hive and I ended up shaking them out away from the bee yard. Some people have sucess requeening them and most will report that they lose the new queens. For me it is not worth the agrevation and would not even try requeening them. A tell tale sign is nothing but drone brood in the hive. Laying workers are a pita. 
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Posted: 7/21/2016 12:40:13 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
It's been four weeks since I was last in my hive. That was when I added the third box. In a month they have drawn out very little of the third box. It has been hotter than hell here so I'm hoping it is just a dearth. They have been collecting something that is very bright. I found it in all three boxes. Hummingbird feeder? I accidentally dropped a frame while going through the 1st box so I didn't get a chance to finish my inspection. Glad I opted to wear gloves today, they were pissed Lots of capped/uncapped brood, honey and pollen in the second box. Hoping there are eggs down in the first. The local bee inspectors are doing free bee health inspections for the next couple of weeks. I have a guy from the state coming out on the 8th to take a look and hopefully give me some pointers. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=90340 Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? |
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Posted: 7/21/2016 6:51:42 AM EDT
[Last Edit: cuttingedge]
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan:
So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
It's been four weeks since I was last in my hive. That was when I added the third box. In a month they have drawn out very little of the third box. It has been hotter than hell here so I'm hoping it is just a dearth. They have been collecting something that is very bright. I found it in all three boxes. Hummingbird feeder? I accidentally dropped a frame while going through the 1st box so I didn't get a chance to finish my inspection. Glad I opted to wear gloves today, they were pissed Lots of capped/uncapped brood, honey and pollen in the second box. Hoping there are eggs down in the first. The local bee inspectors are doing free bee health inspections for the next couple of weeks. I have a guy from the state coming out on the 8th to take a look and hopefully give me some pointers. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=90340 Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? Yes, if they stop collecting it and you have frames that are not packed with "red honey", you could extract those frames. It will be Interesting to hear what the local bee inspector has to say. Please let us know. A friend of mine had his apiary inspected a few days ago and he said that the inspector gave him some good tips but did not really want to talk bees  basically the guy ripped through his hives, checked drone comb for mites, told him one was queenless and suggested getting rid of all of his second entrances. He did receive a certificate stating that his apiary was clean of disease and was in very good condition.
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Posted: 7/21/2016 11:33:43 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan:
So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
It's been four weeks since I was last in my hive. That was when I added the third box. In a month they have drawn out very little of the third box. It has been hotter than hell here so I'm hoping it is just a dearth. They have been collecting something that is very bright. I found it in all three boxes. Hummingbird feeder? I accidentally dropped a frame while going through the 1st box so I didn't get a chance to finish my inspection. Glad I opted to wear gloves today, they were pissed Lots of capped/uncapped brood, honey and pollen in the second box. Hoping there are eggs down in the first. The local bee inspectors are doing free bee health inspections for the next couple of weeks. I have a guy from the state coming out on the 8th to take a look and hopefully give me some pointers. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=90340 Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? Not lost in that they are collecting food for the winter, so that's a good thing,. But no, you don't want to harvest that. This is your first year, right? Most of the time, you expect to NOT harvest honey your first year. You expect to leave it for the bees to help them survive through the winter. Sometimes a new colony surprises us all by taking off and making more honey than any hive could use. But the rule is still "do not expect to harvest the first year." So I suggest going with that expectation. Next year I would watch closely to see if/when the pink stuff starts appearing. You should be able to pull supers before that happens maybe. |
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Posted: 7/21/2016 11:35:08 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Yes, if they stop collecting it and you have frames that are not packed with "red honey", you could extract those frames. It will be Interesting to hear what the local bee inspector has to say. Please let us know. A friend of mine had his apiary inspected a few days ago and he said that the inspector gave him some good tips but did not really want to talk bees basically the guy ripped through his hives, checked drone comb for mites, told him one was queenless and suggested getting rid of all of his second entrances. He did receive a certificate stating that his apiary was clean of disease and was in very good condition.Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
It's been four weeks since I was last in my hive. That was when I added the third box. In a month they have drawn out very little of the third box. It has been hotter than hell here so I'm hoping it is just a dearth. They have been collecting something that is very bright. I found it in all three boxes. Hummingbird feeder? I accidentally dropped a frame while going through the 1st box so I didn't get a chance to finish my inspection. Glad I opted to wear gloves today, they were pissed Lots of capped/uncapped brood, honey and pollen in the second box. Hoping there are eggs down in the first. The local bee inspectors are doing free bee health inspections for the next couple of weeks. I have a guy from the state coming out on the 8th to take a look and hopefully give me some pointers. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=90340 Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? Yes, if they stop collecting it and you have frames that are not packed with "red honey", you could extract those frames. It will be Interesting to hear what the local bee inspector has to say. Please let us know. A friend of mine had his apiary inspected a few days ago and he said that the inspector gave him some good tips but did not really want to talk bees basically the guy ripped through his hives, checked drone comb for mites, told him one was queenless and suggested getting rid of all of his second entrances. He did receive a certificate stating that his apiary was clean of disease and was in very good condition.Huh..sounds like a bored inspector to me. Or one that's tired of the whole "help the new beekeepers" thing. That's a shame. |
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Posted: 7/22/2016 2:39:50 AM EDT
[Last Edit: FrankSymptoms]
[#10]
Helpful picture. This frame shows what capped brood, drone, pollen and honey cells look like.
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Posted: 7/22/2016 3:17:38 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
Helpful picture. This frame shows what capped brood, drone, pollen and honey cells look like. http://honeybeesuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/brood-frame-cc-Maja-Dumat-labeled-1024x789.jpg That's a GREAT photo! |
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Posted: 7/22/2016 4:06:25 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: That's a GREAT photo! Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By FrankSymptoms: Helpful picture. This frame shows what capped brood, drone, pollen and honey cells look like. http://honeybeesuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/brood-frame-cc-Maja-Dumat-labeled-1024x789.jpg That's a GREAT photo!  |
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Posted: 7/22/2016 10:57:19 PM EDT
[#13]
Just found out another first year beekeeper about 6 miles away (as the bee flies
 ) had her hive swarm as well, limited numbers left as I am (not as bad, but she started out with a larger package). She has no queen cells  Asked her where her bees are from. Be weird if they came from the same place.. |
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Posted: 7/22/2016 11:23:06 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
Just found out another first year beekeeper about 6 miles away (as the bee flies ) had her hive swarm as well, limited numbers left as I am (not as bad, but she started out with a larger package). She has no queen cells
Asked her where her bees are from. Be weird if they came from the same place.. Yeah, it would be weird. Likely not indicative of the problem though. Does she have a Lang hive? Did you ask her if she had any ideas about why her hive swarmed? Sounds like she needs to order a queen pronto. |
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Posted: 7/22/2016 11:34:11 PM EDT
[#15]
Rat_Patrol...
You asked a question at some point that just popped into my brain, and I don't *think* it got answered.. That is...are the Lang boxes simple to build. And the answer is yes. There are plans online for boxes of all sizes and frames, with instructions for exact sizes to maintain bee space. And that bee space is extremely important. It was discovered many years ago and is the key to keeping bees happy. Not too much, not too little...so they can get where they need to go in the hive without hindrance, but without a lot of open space. Lots written about bee space (you likely read this stuff when looking at the Warre hive as well). So I have no doubt you have the woodworking equipment (table saw, chop saw) to make anything you need for a Lang hive. If you've got dovetail jigs and want to dovetail your boxes, they'll be stronger of course. If you don't, you can make more, faster. Especially if you're making medium boxes and frames and that's ALL you're making, I predict you will be able to crank those units out pretty fast. All you would need to buy is foundation. You can cut it into strips and just give them a "starter strip" Or you can do half-frames like Cutting Edge (I think it was CE) showed in a recent post, or you can do half frames of foundation, or you can do full frames. You can do some full frames and some starter strips. There are a lot of possibilities. You should also look into something called "small cell foundation" which is made with imprints for smaller cells, and encourages the bees to build smaller cells. Those smaller cells build smaller bees, which are less attractive to varroa mites. There is a lot of reading about small cell foundation. I think we did a number of posts about it in this thread, if you have time and are willing to read through it. But if not, the information is out there. You may or may not want to go the small cell route. But it is an alternative to traditional foundation (only a couple of mm smaller per cell) and there is a significant body of study that indicates it is effective. |
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Posted: 7/23/2016 2:24:40 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Yeah, it would be weird. Likely not indicative of the problem though. Does she have a Lang hive? Did you ask her if she had any ideas about why her hive swarmed? Sounds like she needs to order a queen pronto. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol: Just found out another first year beekeeper about 6 miles away (as the bee flies ) had her hive swarm as well, limited numbers left as I am (not as bad, but she started out with a larger package). She has no queen cells Asked her where her bees are from. Be weird if they came from the same place.. Yeah, it would be weird. Likely not indicative of the problem though. Does she have a Lang hive? Did you ask her if she had any ideas about why her hive swarmed? Sounds like she needs to order a queen pronto. Havent got much out of her yet, just made contact myself. She is a friend if the Mrs. One interesting tid bit us her bees were always easily pissed off she would say. Mine are docile as can be. In fact, mine are easier to wirk with without smoke or anythubg. Yeah, on my phone  |
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Posted: 7/23/2016 11:54:07 AM EDT
[#17]
I have 2 hives at my place. Both hives are 2 deeps + 2 honey supers. I harvested the lower honey supers from each hive yesterday. Both of the upper honey supers were full. Collected right at 6 gallons of honey, and I still have to render out the cut off caps.
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Posted: 7/23/2016 3:34:16 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rat_Patrol: Yes, lang hive. Havent got much out of her yet, just made contact myself. She is a friend if the Mrs. One interesting tid bit us her bees were always easily pissed off she would say. Mine are docile as can be. In fact, mine are easier to wirk with without smoke or anythubg. Yeah, on my phone Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rat_Patrol: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol: Just found out another first year beekeeper about 6 miles away (as the bee flies ) had her hive swarm as well, limited numbers left as I am (not as bad, but she started out with a larger package). She has no queen cells Asked her where her bees are from. Be weird if they came from the same place.. Yeah, it would be weird. Likely not indicative of the problem though. Does she have a Lang hive? Did you ask her if she had any ideas about why her hive swarmed? Sounds like she needs to order a queen pronto. Havent got much out of her yet, just made contact myself. She is a friend if the Mrs. One interesting tid bit us her bees were always easily pissed off she would say. Mine are docile as can be. In fact, mine are easier to wirk with without smoke or anythubg. Yeah, on my phone She has no idea why the bees swarmed, but they have been bearding a lot lately she said. |
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Posted: 7/23/2016 5:20:19 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 338winmag: I have 2 hives at my place. Both hives are 2 deeps + 2 honey supers. I harvested the lower honey supers from each hive yesterday. Both of the upper honey supers were full. Collected right at 6 gallons of honey, and I still have to render out the cut off caps. |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 8:59:30 AM EDT
[Last Edit: DUX4LIFE]
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Huh..sounds like a bored inspector to me. Or one that's tired of the whole "help the new beekeepers" thing. That's a shame. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
It's been four weeks since I was last in my hive. That was when I added the third box. In a month they have drawn out very little of the third box. It has been hotter than hell here so I'm hoping it is just a dearth. They have been collecting something that is very bright. I found it in all three boxes. Hummingbird feeder? I accidentally dropped a frame while going through the 1st box so I didn't get a chance to finish my inspection. Glad I opted to wear gloves today, they were pissed Lots of capped/uncapped brood, honey and pollen in the second box. Hoping there are eggs down in the first. The local bee inspectors are doing free bee health inspections for the next couple of weeks. I have a guy from the state coming out on the 8th to take a look and hopefully give me some pointers. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=90340 Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? Yes, if they stop collecting it and you have frames that are not packed with "red honey", you could extract those frames. It will be Interesting to hear what the local bee inspector has to say. Please let us know. A friend of mine had his apiary inspected a few days ago and he said that the inspector gave him some good tips but did not really want to talk bees basically the guy ripped through his hives, checked drone comb for mites, told him one was queenless and suggested getting rid of all of his second entrances. He did receive a certificate stating that his apiary was clean of disease and was in very good condition.Huh..sounds like a bored inspector to me. Or one that's tired of the whole "help the new beekeepers" thing. That's a shame. Or just a real busy one. In Illinois I think we have like 6 in the state that take care of all of the beekeepers. We have mandatory hive registration and they try to inspect each hive biannually. They are not State employees but "contract employees" so I am not sure how they get paid but I don't believe its much. So they kind of have to work it as a part time job I guess. |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 9:40:04 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
Nice! I may get a similar sized harvest this year. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
Originally Posted By 338winmag:
I have 2 hives at my place. Both hives are 2 deeps + 2 honey supers. I harvested the lower honey supers from each hive yesterday. Both of the upper honey supers were full. Collected right at 6 gallons of honey, and I still have to render out the cut off caps. I melted down the caps last night. /There was quite a bit of honey still mixed in with the wax. I need to go out and see how much I got. I also need to purify my wax. It was pretty nasty looking last night. |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 3:36:21 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
Nice! I may get a similar sized harvest this year. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
Originally Posted By 338winmag:
I have 2 hives at my place. Both hives are 2 deeps + 2 honey supers. I harvested the lower honey supers from each hive yesterday. Both of the upper honey supers were full. Collected right at 6 gallons of honey, and I still have to render out the cut off caps. You new beekeepers...Don't let all the supers get completely full. ALWAYS make sure the bees have extra room at the top. If they run out of room, that can trigger the decision to swarm. Once they make that flip in their mindset, it's damn near impossible to get them to switch it back. |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 3:37:31 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Or just a real busy one. In Illinois I think we have like 6 in the state that take care of all of the beekeepers. We have mandatory hive registration and they try to inspect each hive biannually. They are not State employees but "contract employees" so I am not sure how they get paid but I don't believe its much. So they kind of have to work it as a part time job I guess. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Ugh, red honey... That is either the Humingbird feeder or candy as was pointed out. Either way it will be fine for them but would not be good for human consumption or for sale So my whole harvest is lost unless they stop collecting it? Then I can just avoid those frames when I extract? Yes, if they stop collecting it and you have frames that are not packed with "red honey", you could extract those frames. It will be Interesting to hear what the local bee inspector has to say. Please let us know. A friend of mine had his apiary inspected a few days ago and he said that the inspector gave him some good tips but did not really want to talk bees basically the guy ripped through his hives, checked drone comb for mites, told him one was queenless and suggested getting rid of all of his second entrances. He did receive a certificate stating that his apiary was clean of disease and was in very good condition.Huh..sounds like a bored inspector to me. Or one that's tired of the whole "help the new beekeepers" thing. That's a shame. Or just a real busy one. In Illinois I think we have like 6 in the state that take care of all of the beekeepers. We have mandatory hive registration and they try to inspect each hive biannually. They are not State employees but "contract employees" so I am not sure how they get paid but I don't believe its much. So they kind of have to work it as a part time job I guess. Wow. Didn't know you had mandatory that often. |
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Posted: 7/25/2016 9:51:37 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
You new beekeepers...Don't let all the supers get completely full. ALWAYS make sure the bees have extra room at the top. If they run out of room, that can trigger the decision to swarm. Once they make that flip in their mindset, it's damn near impossible to get them to switch it back. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Hanz:
Originally Posted By 338winmag:
I have 2 hives at my place. Both hives are 2 deeps + 2 honey supers. I harvested the lower honey supers from each hive yesterday. Both of the upper honey supers were full. Collected right at 6 gallons of honey, and I still have to render out the cut off caps. You new beekeepers...Don't let all the supers get completely full. ALWAYS make sure the bees have extra room at the top. If they run out of room, that can trigger the decision to swarm. Once they make that flip in their mindset, it's damn near impossible to get them to switch it back. There was still some room in some of the frames. They had it built out, but there was no honey. Technically, they were full. My final count was 26 quarts. One other thing. Down here beekeeping might be a little different. Down here, from about the middle of June up into September, we really don't have much blooming. In fact, if you pull a lot of honey off your hives they can starve in the middle of the summer. |
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Posted: 7/25/2016 4:08:32 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 338winmag:
There was still some room in some of the frames. They had it built out, but there was no honey. Technically, they were full. My final count was 26 quarts. One other thing. Down here beekeeping might be a little different. Down here, from about the middle of June up into September, we really don't have much blooming. In fact, if you pull a lot of honey off your hives they can starve in the middle of the summer. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 338winmag:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Hanz:
Originally Posted By 338winmag:
I have 2 hives at my place. Both hives are 2 deeps + 2 honey supers. I harvested the lower honey supers from each hive yesterday. Both of the upper honey supers were full. Collected right at 6 gallons of honey, and I still have to render out the cut off caps. You new beekeepers...Don't let all the supers get completely full. ALWAYS make sure the bees have extra room at the top. If they run out of room, that can trigger the decision to swarm. Once they make that flip in their mindset, it's damn near impossible to get them to switch it back. There was still some room in some of the frames. They had it built out, but there was no honey. Technically, they were full. My final count was 26 quarts. One other thing. Down here beekeeping might be a little different. Down here, from about the middle of June up into September, we really don't have much blooming. In fact, if you pull a lot of honey off your hives they can starve in the middle of the summer. This is very true in many places. Very hard lesson for many to learn. It took me several seasons to figure it out. When I pull my honey this year I plan to start feeding the same day. Just enough to keep them thinking they are not in a dearth so the queen doesn't shut down. |
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Posted: 7/25/2016 4:28:23 PM EDT
[#26]
I would really like to know what people are treating with and what success thy are having with those treatments.
I will be treating with Oxalic Acid again starting this August and some of my Nucs will get Thymol Mite treatments as that is what the Queen breeder recommended I use. I am also going to be treating all hives for Nosema while feeding in the fall. Last season I did not see any adverse affects on the hives from the OA and no bee kill. I did however see a huge mite drop after all three treatments. |
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Posted: 7/25/2016 4:28:59 PM EDT
[#27]
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Posted: 7/25/2016 6:58:21 PM EDT
[Last Edit: FrankSymptoms]
[#28]
I found Her Highness! Dead center about 2/3 of the way down.
She wasn't surrounded by anybody, just sauntering around, stretching her legs after a long day of laying eggs. There are 2 more bars showing some bits of brand-new wax on them! The first is hard to see due to overexposure but it's there. 
eta The comb on one of the bars seems to have exceeded its limits; it bulges on one side. |
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Posted: 7/25/2016 7:47:20 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 338winmag:
There was still some room in some of the frames. They had it built out, but there was no honey. Technically, they were full. My final count was 26 quarts. One other thing. Down here beekeeping might be a little different. Down here, from about the middle of June up into September, we really don't have much blooming. In fact, if you pull a lot of honey off your hives they can starve in the middle of the summer. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 338winmag:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Hanz:
Originally Posted By 338winmag:
I have 2 hives at my place. Both hives are 2 deeps + 2 honey supers. I harvested the lower honey supers from each hive yesterday. Both of the upper honey supers were full. Collected right at 6 gallons of honey, and I still have to render out the cut off caps. You new beekeepers...Don't let all the supers get completely full. ALWAYS make sure the bees have extra room at the top. If they run out of room, that can trigger the decision to swarm. Once they make that flip in their mindset, it's damn near impossible to get them to switch it back. There was still some room in some of the frames. They had it built out, but there was no honey. Technically, they were full. My final count was 26 quarts. One other thing. Down here beekeeping might be a little different. Down here, from about the middle of June up into September, we really don't have much blooming. In fact, if you pull a lot of honey off your hives they can starve in the middle of the summer. This is true in many places. (I don't know where "down here" is for you. ) Those who have honey flow most of spring through fall are very fortunate.
That said, I still believe it's important to keep the bees believing they have room to expand. That really is a separate issue from having enough honey to survive. Now, YMMV of course, but I was taught (and learned the hard way that the beekeeping mentors around me were right, when I didn't move fast enough and lost bees) that when bees hit the top of their box, even if they've got two frames empty on each end, they are inclined to believe they have run out of room. And that's what I would try to avoid. You can do it by moving open frames into the middle, often, but I learned the hard way that letting them sit there because "there are empty frames" can end up with a swarm mindset. That may not happen with your bees, but I think it's common enough. ETA: I'm curious...do you feed during that dearth of honey flow? |
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Posted: 7/25/2016 7:50:04 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
I found Her Highness! Dead center about 2/3 of the way down. http://i.imgur.com/ZFbu6Pi.jpg She wasn't surrounded by anybody, just sauntering around, stretching her legs after a long day of laying eggs. There are 2 more bars showing some bits of brand-new wax on them! The first is hard to see due to overexposure but it's there. http://i.imgur.com/UDxX9Ie.jpg http://i.imgur.com/MBqAooA.jpg eta The comb on one of the bars seems to have exceeded its limits; it bulges on one side. Yay! Nice to see your queen finally!
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Posted: 7/26/2016 6:41:09 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Yay! Nice to see your queen finally! Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By FrankSymptoms: I found Her Highness! Dead center about 2/3 of the way down. http://i.imgur.com/ZFbu6Pi.jpg She wasn't surrounded by anybody, just sauntering around, stretching her legs after a long day of laying eggs. There are 2 more bars showing some bits of brand-new wax on them! The first is hard to see due to overexposure but it's there. http://i.imgur.com/UDxX9Ie.jpg http://i.imgur.com/MBqAooA.jpg eta The comb on one of the bars seems to have exceeded its limits; it bulges on one side. Yay! Nice to see your queen finally! |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 10:55:38 AM EDT
[#32]
I've been thinking about why mine may have swarmed, have an idea.
Early on when I put the comb that fell off on top of the bars on the bottom box, could that have seemed like a "floor" to the bees, and they didn't want to build past that in the bottom box? They never touched the bottom box at all: it was completely open. Could that simple mistake have caused them to swarm? |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 3:54:57 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
I've been thinking about why mine may have swarmed, have an idea. Early on when I put the comb that fell off on top of the bars on the bottom box, could that have seemed like a "floor" to the bees, and they didn't want to build past that in the bottom box? They never touched the bottom box at all: it was completely open. Could that simple mistake have caused them to swarm? I can't imagine that stopping them. It's not like there were piles of it that they couldn't get around, right? Here's the thing I don't get about the Warre hive and "building down." When I do cutouts...either in trees or house walls or wherever, the comb sections are huge and long, and packed together with just enough bee space for them to get through. But there are no divisions in those spaces. When they build in the hollow of a wall, they fill up that space in a comb structure that is as continuous as they can make it. In your hive, you have a sort of "top bar" structure, right? But when they get to the bottom box, they have to start over again on more "top bars"? Am I understanding that right? Because if that's the case, I would THINK the bees would be more likely to build "up" than down in that kind of hive, because in many ways, it replicates the behavior modifications in the same way as a Langstroth hive. If it was one huge, open box, which is what I thought when you were describing it, they would be attaching to the sides and every which way, as they would in an open cavity. I keep thinking about that behavior...and the logic behind the Warre hive...and I'm having trouble meshing that with what I know about bee behavior in boxes. I have not studied it the way you have, so maybe I'm not thinking right. |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 4:30:31 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
I can't imagine that stopping them. It's not like there were piles of it that they couldn't get around, right? Here's the thing I don't get about the Warre hive and "building down." When I do cutouts...either in trees or house walls or wherever, the comb sections are huge and long, and packed together with just enough bee space for them to get through. But there are no divisions in those spaces. When they build in the hollow of a wall, they fill up that space in a comb structure that is as continuous as they can make it. In your hive, you have a sort of "top bar" structure, right? But when they get to the bottom box, they have to start over again on more "top bars"? Am I understanding that right? Because if that's the case, I would THINK the bees would be more likely to build "up" than down in that kind of hive, because in many ways, it replicates the behavior modifications in the same way as a Langstroth hive. If it was one huge, open box, which is what I thought when you were describing it, they would be attaching to the sides and every which way, as they would in an open cavity. I keep thinking about that behavior...and the logic behind the Warre hive...and I'm having trouble meshing that with what I know about bee behavior in boxes. I have not studied it the way you have, so maybe I'm not thinking right. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
I've been thinking about why mine may have swarmed, have an idea. Early on when I put the comb that fell off on top of the bars on the bottom box, could that have seemed like a "floor" to the bees, and they didn't want to build past that in the bottom box? They never touched the bottom box at all: it was completely open. Could that simple mistake have caused them to swarm? I can't imagine that stopping them. It's not like there were piles of it that they couldn't get around, right? Here's the thing I don't get about the Warre hive and "building down." When I do cutouts...either in trees or house walls or wherever, the comb sections are huge and long, and packed together with just enough bee space for them to get through. But there are no divisions in those spaces. When they build in the hollow of a wall, they fill up that space in a comb structure that is as continuous as they can make it. In your hive, you have a sort of "top bar" structure, right? But when they get to the bottom box, they have to start over again on more "top bars"? Am I understanding that right? Because if that's the case, I would THINK the bees would be more likely to build "up" than down in that kind of hive, because in many ways, it replicates the behavior modifications in the same way as a Langstroth hive. If it was one huge, open box, which is what I thought when you were describing it, they would be attaching to the sides and every which way, as they would in an open cavity. I keep thinking about that behavior...and the logic behind the Warre hive...and I'm having trouble meshing that with what I know about bee behavior in boxes. I have not studied it the way you have, so maybe I'm not thinking right. Kitty, On a Warre style hive you add a box to the bottom of the pile when they need more room. in a langstroth hive you add a box to the top of the hive when they need more room. The only reason I can see that these hives are an advantage is that in any structure (tree/building) that has the large opening they start at the top and build down. Once the wax is built then they work back up and down. I hope this makes sense the way I explained it to you. |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 4:45:36 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Kitty, On a Warre style hive you add a box to the bottom of the pile when they need more room. in a langstroth hive you add a box to the top of the hive when they need more room. The only reason I can see that these hives are an advantage is that in any structure (tree/building) that has the large opening they start at the top and build down. Once the wax is built then they work back up and down. I hope this makes sense the way I explained it to you. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
I've been thinking about why mine may have swarmed, have an idea. Early on when I put the comb that fell off on top of the bars on the bottom box, could that have seemed like a "floor" to the bees, and they didn't want to build past that in the bottom box? They never touched the bottom box at all: it was completely open. Could that simple mistake have caused them to swarm? I can't imagine that stopping them. It's not like there were piles of it that they couldn't get around, right? Here's the thing I don't get about the Warre hive and "building down." When I do cutouts...either in trees or house walls or wherever, the comb sections are huge and long, and packed together with just enough bee space for them to get through. But there are no divisions in those spaces. When they build in the hollow of a wall, they fill up that space in a comb structure that is as continuous as they can make it. In your hive, you have a sort of "top bar" structure, right? But when they get to the bottom box, they have to start over again on more "top bars"? Am I understanding that right? Because if that's the case, I would THINK the bees would be more likely to build "up" than down in that kind of hive, because in many ways, it replicates the behavior modifications in the same way as a Langstroth hive. If it was one huge, open box, which is what I thought when you were describing it, they would be attaching to the sides and every which way, as they would in an open cavity. I keep thinking about that behavior...and the logic behind the Warre hive...and I'm having trouble meshing that with what I know about bee behavior in boxes. I have not studied it the way you have, so maybe I'm not thinking right. Kitty, On a Warre style hive you add a box to the bottom of the pile when they need more room. in a langstroth hive you add a box to the top of the hive when they need more room. The only reason I can see that these hives are an advantage is that in any structure (tree/building) that has the large opening they start at the top and build down. Once the wax is built then they work back up and down. I hope this makes sense the way I explained it to you. It does make sense...I mean, I understand what you're saying. The thing I'm having trouble with is that this is NOT a large open structure.....right? You've got a second box with "bars" instead of frames. And that's the thing that's bugging me...you add boxes to the top of a Langstroth hive because that's the way the bees WANT to go inside a box hive structure. If your Warre hive was one big open space, I can see them going down. I just can't see, with the bars in the bottom box, that the structure would feel that much different to the bees, than it does in a Lang hive. And I KNOW they want to go up, not down. I wonder, if you removed a number of the bars in the bottom box, so it felt to them like they had more open space, if they would be more likely to go in and use that bottom box...then you could insert more bars. I guess my instinct is that what they thought was a "floor" was the bars on your bottom box. I realize I may not be making my thoughts clear. But if you've ever worked with a Langstroth hive, and seen that they just won't hardly go back down into an empty box (which is why we flip the boxes in the spring) it might make more sense to you. |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 5:40:40 PM EDT
[#36]
I think looking at this from a Langstroth point of view Moving a couple brood frames to the lower box and replacing them with the empty bars would induce the bees to start in the lower box.
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Posted: 7/26/2016 9:31:41 PM EDT
[#37]
Kitty,
You are correct. Each box is basically it's own top bar hive. I know they swear by the Warre hive in Europe, it's very new on this side of the pond. All I can tell you for sure is that 1. When I installed the package, they went to the top box to start work. 2. On a couple comb that hit the bar on the next box down, they attached to that bar and I spotted a very small amount of wax on the bar in the next box. Too soon to tell if they intended to draw comb or not. Will take a peek tomorrow and check on the Queen zit. |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 9:40:28 PM EDT
[Last Edit: cuttingedge]
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
It does make sense...I mean, I understand what you're saying. The thing I'm having trouble with is that this is NOT a large open structure.....right? You've got a second box with "bars" instead of frames. And that's the thing that's bugging me...you add boxes to the top of a Langstroth hive because that's the way the bees WANT to go inside a box hive structure. If your Warre hive was one big open space, I can see them going down. I just can't see, with the bars in the bottom box, that the structure would feel that much different to the bees, than it does in a Lang hive. And I KNOW they want to go up, not down. I wonder, if you removed a number of the bars in the bottom box, so it felt to them like they had more open space, if they would be more likely to go in and use that bottom box...then you could insert more bars. I guess my instinct is that what they thought was a "floor" was the bars on your bottom box. I realize I may not be making my thoughts clear. But if you've ever worked with a Langstroth hive, and seen that they just won't hardly go back down into an empty box (which is why we flip the boxes in the spring) it might make more sense to you. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
I've been thinking about why mine may have swarmed, have an idea. Early on when I put the comb that fell off on top of the bars on the bottom box, could that have seemed like a "floor" to the bees, and they didn't want to build past that in the bottom box? They never touched the bottom box at all: it was completely open. Could that simple mistake have caused them to swarm? I can't imagine that stopping them. It's not like there were piles of it that they couldn't get around, right? Here's the thing I don't get about the Warre hive and "building down." When I do cutouts...either in trees or house walls or wherever, the comb sections are huge and long, and packed together with just enough bee space for them to get through. But there are no divisions in those spaces. When they build in the hollow of a wall, they fill up that space in a comb structure that is as continuous as they can make it. In your hive, you have a sort of "top bar" structure, right? But when they get to the bottom box, they have to start over again on more "top bars"? Am I understanding that right? Because if that's the case, I would THINK the bees would be more likely to build "up" than down in that kind of hive, because in many ways, it replicates the behavior modifications in the same way as a Langstroth hive. If it was one huge, open box, which is what I thought when you were describing it, they would be attaching to the sides and every which way, as they would in an open cavity. I keep thinking about that behavior...and the logic behind the Warre hive...and I'm having trouble meshing that with what I know about bee behavior in boxes. I have not studied it the way you have, so maybe I'm not thinking right. Kitty, On a Warre style hive you add a box to the bottom of the pile when they need more room. in a langstroth hive you add a box to the top of the hive when they need more room. The only reason I can see that these hives are an advantage is that in any structure (tree/building) that has the large opening they start at the top and build down. Once the wax is built then they work back up and down. I hope this makes sense the way I explained it to you. It does make sense...I mean, I understand what you're saying. The thing I'm having trouble with is that this is NOT a large open structure.....right? You've got a second box with "bars" instead of frames. And that's the thing that's bugging me...you add boxes to the top of a Langstroth hive because that's the way the bees WANT to go inside a box hive structure. If your Warre hive was one big open space, I can see them going down. I just can't see, with the bars in the bottom box, that the structure would feel that much different to the bees, than it does in a Lang hive. And I KNOW they want to go up, not down. I wonder, if you removed a number of the bars in the bottom box, so it felt to them like they had more open space, if they would be more likely to go in and use that bottom box...then you could insert more bars. I guess my instinct is that what they thought was a "floor" was the bars on your bottom box. I realize I may not be making my thoughts clear. But if you've ever worked with a Langstroth hive, and seen that they just won't hardly go back down into an empty box (which is why we flip the boxes in the spring) it might make more sense to you. I agree with some of what you have stated. I have a very good friend in NY whom is also a beekeeper. He has done over 40 cut-outs this season and through our conversations and seeing first hand how bees operate in "the wild" it is very evident that they prefer to work from the top down. In a langstroth hive, we manage them in the complete opposite direction and try and manipulate them to work from the bottom up. Although they typically will draw comb from the top of a frame to the bottom, think about how this is almost the complete opposite of how they operate. If and this is a big if, we were to leave the bottom bars out of our frames and put them in a double deep set-up, how do you think they would draw comb? Most likely they would do better but this would not make it easier for us "the Beekeepers". My friend and I talk about this very often and wonder if letting them work "their way" would be better for them and maybe we would not have as many issues. We are both set-up to try a few different hive configurations next year and both look forward to the results. |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 10:40:43 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
I think looking at this from a Langstroth point of view Moving a couple brood frames to the lower box and replacing them with the empty bars would induce the bees to start in the lower box. Oh wow...that's EXCELLENT advice! Of course they would go down there. Dux you are a really good thinker about these things. 
I just don't know how easy it is to move frames in the Warre hive. |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 10:44:23 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#40]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
I agree with some of what you have stated. I have a very good friend in NY whom is also a beekeeper. He has done over 40 cut-outs this season and through our conversations and seeing first hand how bees operate in "the wild" it is very evident that they prefer to work from the top down. In a langstroth hive, we manage them in the complete opposite direction and try and manipulate them to work from the bottom up. Although they typically will draw comb from the top of a frame to the bottom, think about how this is almost the complete opposite of how they operate. If and this is a big if, we were to leave the bottom bars out of our frames and put them in a double deep set-up, how do you think they would draw comb? Most likely they would do better but this would not make it easier for us "the Beekeepers". My friend and I talk about this very often and wonder if letting them work "their way" would be better for them and maybe we would not have as many issues. We are both set-up to try a few different hive configurations next year and both look forward to the results. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
I've been thinking about why mine may have swarmed, have an idea. Early on when I put the comb that fell off on top of the bars on the bottom box, could that have seemed like a "floor" to the bees, and they didn't want to build past that in the bottom box? They never touched the bottom box at all: it was completely open. Could that simple mistake have caused them to swarm? I can't imagine that stopping them. It's not like there were piles of it that they couldn't get around, right? Here's the thing I don't get about the Warre hive and "building down." When I do cutouts...either in trees or house walls or wherever, the comb sections are huge and long, and packed together with just enough bee space for them to get through. But there are no divisions in those spaces. When they build in the hollow of a wall, they fill up that space in a comb structure that is as continuous as they can make it. In your hive, you have a sort of "top bar" structure, right? But when they get to the bottom box, they have to start over again on more "top bars"? Am I understanding that right? Because if that's the case, I would THINK the bees would be more likely to build "up" than down in that kind of hive, because in many ways, it replicates the behavior modifications in the same way as a Langstroth hive. If it was one huge, open box, which is what I thought when you were describing it, they would be attaching to the sides and every which way, as they would in an open cavity. I keep thinking about that behavior...and the logic behind the Warre hive...and I'm having trouble meshing that with what I know about bee behavior in boxes. I have not studied it the way you have, so maybe I'm not thinking right. Kitty, On a Warre style hive you add a box to the bottom of the pile when they need more room. in a langstroth hive you add a box to the top of the hive when they need more room. The only reason I can see that these hives are an advantage is that in any structure (tree/building) that has the large opening they start at the top and build down. Once the wax is built then they work back up and down. I hope this makes sense the way I explained it to you. It does make sense...I mean, I understand what you're saying. The thing I'm having trouble with is that this is NOT a large open structure.....right? You've got a second box with "bars" instead of frames. And that's the thing that's bugging me...you add boxes to the top of a Langstroth hive because that's the way the bees WANT to go inside a box hive structure. If your Warre hive was one big open space, I can see them going down. I just can't see, with the bars in the bottom box, that the structure would feel that much different to the bees, than it does in a Lang hive. And I KNOW they want to go up, not down. I wonder, if you removed a number of the bars in the bottom box, so it felt to them like they had more open space, if they would be more likely to go in and use that bottom box...then you could insert more bars. I guess my instinct is that what they thought was a "floor" was the bars on your bottom box. I realize I may not be making my thoughts clear. But if you've ever worked with a Langstroth hive, and seen that they just won't hardly go back down into an empty box (which is why we flip the boxes in the spring) it might make more sense to you. I agree with some of what you have stated. I have a very good friend in NY whom is also a beekeeper. He has done over 40 cut-outs this season and through our conversations and seeing first hand how bees operate in "the wild" it is very evident that they prefer to work from the top down. In a langstroth hive, we manage them in the complete opposite direction and try and manipulate them to work from the bottom up. Although they typically will draw comb from the top of a frame to the bottom, think about how this is almost the complete opposite of how they operate. If and this is a big if, we were to leave the bottom bars out of our frames and put them in a double deep set-up, how do you think they would draw comb? Most likely they would do better but this would not make it easier for us "the Beekeepers". My friend and I talk about this very often and wonder if letting them work "their way" would be better for them and maybe we would not have as many issues. We are both set-up to try a few different hive configurations next year and both look forward to the results. I absolutely agree. That top down in an open box....that's what they would do. However in watching the top bar beekeepers, and now watching Rat_Patrol with the Warre, I can see why Langstroth became so popular. There MUST be some kind of way to easily manage the harvest, while making the bees okay too. It seems that Lang hives attempt to tread that middle ground. However that is not to say that there isn't a BETTER way to tread that ground. Will be very interested in what you and your friend learn. |
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Posted: 7/27/2016 12:42:12 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Rat_Patrol]
[#41]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: I just don't know how easy it is to move frames in the Warre hive. ETA: The whole idea with the Warre is that you are providing a modular rotten out tree that never ends, and let them do their thing. Since they are always working down, its supposed to seem like the tree never ends. Even the size of the Warre was made a specific size to mimic a hollow tree. Warre originally said that a round box would be ideal, but manufacturing would be impractical.
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Posted: 7/27/2016 2:02:26 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
The idea with the Warre is that you work with boxes, NOT frames (combs). In theory anyway, there is never a reason to pull out comb (like I have done a couple times now) with a warre until you dis-assemble the box for honey harvest. You tip the box and see what you see from the bottom of the comb when you need to do an inspection. ETA: The whole idea with the Warre is that you are providing a modular rotten out tree that never ends, and let them do their thing. Since they are always working down, its supposed to seem like the tree never ends. Even the size of the Warre was made a specific size to mimic a hollow tree. Warre originally said that a round box would be ideal, but manufacturing would be impractical. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rat_Patrol:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
I just don't know how easy it is to move frames in the Warre hive. ETA: The whole idea with the Warre is that you are providing a modular rotten out tree that never ends, and let them do their thing. Since they are always working down, its supposed to seem like the tree never ends. Even the size of the Warre was made a specific size to mimic a hollow tree. Warre originally said that a round box would be ideal, but manufacturing would be impractical. This right here in blue.. That's what I've been pondering on the past couple of days, and that's what's made me start thinking that all the bars in the bottom box might seem like a floor to them, and MAYBE it would work better to open that up a little, and let them go down there, then install the bars. I think Dux has the way of it though...transferring some brood bars down there would encourage them to begin building in the lower box. There is NO doubt about that. They will not abandon brood. I'm not saying you need to do things differently next time. Just hypothesizing about what might encourage them to go on downward when it's not a fully open cavity. Something in my gut is saying that's part of the problem with that setup. That they don't have that big open cavity. Now...all of this could be bullshit, and your queen might have just had the genetics that made her want to vamoose. No way to know until you try things again. But...all those bars...that's far more likely to seem like a "floor" I'm thinking, than the comb you had lying down there. |
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Posted: 7/27/2016 2:23:49 AM EDT
[#43]
Okay here's a question: In my top bar hive, there's a lot of brood near the entrance. Should I leave 'em there or move them back further into the hive? Is there any reason to move them?
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Posted: 7/27/2016 1:53:12 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
Okay here's a question: In my top bar hive, there's a lot of brood near the entrance. Should I leave 'em there or move them back further into the hive? Is there any reason to move them? Unless you have a problem with your hive that you are trying to correct, I suggest leaving things the way the bees put them. They generally know what they're doing.
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Posted: 7/28/2016 8:56:05 AM EDT
[#45]
Do bees ever "re-purpose" cells? For example, do empty honey cells become brood cells?
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Posted: 7/28/2016 8:59:06 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms: Do bees ever "re-purpose" cells? For example, do empty honey cells become brood cells? |
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Posted: 7/28/2016 3:56:21 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: This right here in blue.. That's what I've been pondering on the past couple of days, and that's what's made me start thinking that all the bars in the bottom box might seem like a floor to them, and MAYBE it would work better to open that up a little, and let them go down there, then install the bars. I think Dux has the way of it though...transferring some brood bars down there would encourage them to begin building in the lower box. There is NO doubt about that. They will not abandon brood. I'm not saying you need to do things differently next time. Just hypothesizing about what might encourage them to go on downward when it's not a fully open cavity. Something in my gut is saying that's part of the problem with that setup. That they don't have that big open cavity. Now...all of this could be bullshit, and your queen might have just had the genetics that made her want to vamoose. No way to know until you try things again. But...all those bars...that's far more likely to seem like a "floor" I'm thinking, than the comb you had lying down there. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: I just don't know how easy it is to move frames in the Warre hive. ETA: The whole idea with the Warre is that you are providing a modular rotten out tree that never ends, and let them do their thing. Since they are always working down, its supposed to seem like the tree never ends. Even the size of the Warre was made a specific size to mimic a hollow tree. Warre originally said that a round box would be ideal, but manufacturing would be impractical. This right here in blue.. That's what I've been pondering on the past couple of days, and that's what's made me start thinking that all the bars in the bottom box might seem like a floor to them, and MAYBE it would work better to open that up a little, and let them go down there, then install the bars. I think Dux has the way of it though...transferring some brood bars down there would encourage them to begin building in the lower box. There is NO doubt about that. They will not abandon brood. I'm not saying you need to do things differently next time. Just hypothesizing about what might encourage them to go on downward when it's not a fully open cavity. Something in my gut is saying that's part of the problem with that setup. That they don't have that big open cavity. Now...all of this could be bullshit, and your queen might have just had the genetics that made her want to vamoose. No way to know until you try things again. But...all those bars...that's far more likely to seem like a "floor" I'm thinking, than the comb you had lying down there. Speaking of which, I need to check the hive in about an hour when I am done with work for the day. |
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KY, USA
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Posted: 7/28/2016 5:05:43 PM EDT
[#48]
A bear got into one of my nucs.
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KY, USA
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Posted: 7/28/2016 5:10:28 PM EDT
[Last Edit: scorpionmain]
[#49]
So, I contacted Fish annd Game and they gave me a Solar Powered box for an electric fence.
This pic was at the beginning of the install It was very HOT out. 
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KY, USA
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Posted: 7/28/2016 5:15:26 PM EDT
[#50]
Check out these Rubber ball shotgun cartridges given to me by the Fish & Wildlife Department to engage bears with. They recommended being at around 30 yards (90 feet) for an effective shot.
That's way to close for me. Deadly force would be the only way to go. Ain't no way I am going to try this. 
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