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Okay I'll start the beekeeping thread (Page 149 of 154)

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9/4/2024 10:13:14 PM EDT
[#1]
Started 2hives last April. Great new hobby. Lots to learn. Luckily have a neighbor going through getting her masters at OSU in beekeeping.
So far going well . Only problem so far was my strongest hive swarmed after only a few months. Kinda confused why it did as it was a new hive and not built out fully. Anyway, the new queen they left is doing great.

Mite control seems like a vague thing to me, but have been using some strips I’ve made up with oxalic acid which seems to be doing well. Last mite count only 1 in both hives.


Took this picture recently of the new queen. Find her!
Attached File
9/4/2024 10:13:56 PM EDT
[#2]
Started 2hives last April. Great new hobby. Lots to learn. Luckily have a neighbor going through getting her masters at OSU in beekeeping.
So far going well . Only problem so far was my strongest hive swarmed after only a few months. Kinda confused why it did as it was a new hive and not built out fully. Anyway, the new queen they left is doing great.

Mite control seems like a vague thing to me, but have been using some strips I’ve made up with oxalic acid which seems to be doing well. Last mite count only 1 in both hives.


Took this picture recently of the new queen. Find her!
Attached File
9/5/2024 10:32:09 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote History
Originally Posted By JQ66:



Get a dog - a Lab will eat everything!  Dog will clean up the spills, and clean the spout from the bottling bucket pour gate.    
my Ike is sneaky. He will get some pouring out of the extractor too, if you don't watch him constantly.  
He can make it difficult bottling.  I usually set the bucket on top of a chest freezer, and set on a big Walmart yeti clone cooler when I bottle.  He stands with his front feet on the cooler behind me.   But he has ADHD or something, and eventually starts barking right in my ear.   So I am lucky if I can do a dozen or a few more bottles in a row before he demands I play with him outside.  

This was a pretty decent spring harvest for me.  I have not done a final tally of how many lbs I got, but I really need to sell some honey.   I got more than the last two years for sure, more than what I need for my own use.  
So far and it's early into the fall goldenrod flow (and a little knotweed/joepie/ironweed) they are collecting some but not as much as I hoped.    But the goldenrod is just starting to flower.  

I had one of my hives that maybe decided to swarm or leave the hive but only went as far as underneath.  Actually had two but the other one seems to have moved on a couple months ago.    The other one seemed for sure to have been a swarm as the hive it took up residence under had a queen.   Then it moved to the next hive over, underneath of course, and eventually left on its own - it did the same last year but I got to it and put that one in the same boxes above - it had no queen.   This one though seems to have just moved underneath, maybe during a hot spell back in early June.  
When I noticed this one, they had already built up a huge amount of comb.   What a mess.  
I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with this one, hoping they would move back upstairs as it were.  But no.    There were always some bees going above and storing some honey and pollen, but the queen never went up.   Since there are going to be more cool nights I thought I should at least try to get them into the hive boxes.   Since they had so much free standing comb built, and presumably filled with brood, I took the bottom board from a hive that absconded, put it on the bottom, then one of the deep boxes with frames on the bottom, an empty deep box, and then the original screened  bottom board with all the comb down inside the empty deep.   Then I put I think another deep box and a super above that.
There was a LOT of honey in that free comb.  I took a couple small pieces as comb honey.   Hopefully they get straightened out, but I suspect that empty deep with the comb will still be a mess.   I need to watch some DirtRooster videos to see how they deal with cutouts when they collect bees from buildings.  Do they just put the comb in empty frames (no plastic foundation)?

Bottom side of the bottom board
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/319879/D2F8702A-5081-441F-87DD-2756A1AA5936_jpe-3312243.JPG

There was comb inside some of the cinderblocks too.  A lot of honey in one.  I wasn't able to weed trim around this hive since the comb was so close to the underside of the bottom board where the blocks weren't.  What a mess
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/319879/23BE1AEC-30DA-4272-B715-27B94A52109F_jpe-3312246.JPG

View Quote
When I do a removal, I cut the comb to fit into an empty frame. Watch the cell orientation, especially with brood. I take rubber bands and make two cross patterns, like X on the frame. You don't need foundation. The bees will attach it to the frame rather quickly. They will also attack the bands. They seem to like eating them.
Thulsa Doom-“Consider the riddle of steel”


Hint. The riddle of steel is the will to act.
9/17/2024 9:35:54 PM EDT
[#4]
I'm back in the game! My hive was dead after my hip surgery but this spring a swarm moved in. I've been feeding them some sugar syrup and want to overwinter them.

Who markets a good hive wrap? Temps got down well below freezing a couple of years ago and I think that's what killed the hive.

Thanks for all the great advice you've given over the years!
"The Creator may be seen in all the works of his hands, but none so clearly in the wise economy of the honey bee."

William Gibson: "The future's here. It's just not evenly distributed."
9/18/2024 7:39:15 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote History
Originally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
I'm back in the game! My hive was dead after my hip surgery but this spring a swarm moved in. I've been feeding them some sugar syrup and want to overwinter them.

Who markets a good hive wrap? Temps got down well below freezing a couple of years ago and I think that's what killed the hive.

Thanks for all the great advice you've given over the years!
View Quote


It usually takes temperatures very, very cold to kill a strong hive.  May have been more at play than you realize (mites, Low number of bees going into winter).  About the wraps, I am shifting to using reflective bubble wrap. 2 layers and a 1 1/2" piece of foam under the lid seems to work well, cost effective and stores compactly. Using black tar paper works for some also.  I refrain from the tar paper idea as I worry about the hive heating up rapidly from the heat absorbtion causing the bees to break cluster.  When the sun goes down the hive will cool rapidly also since the tar paper has no real R factor.  The rapid cooldown can catch the bees off guard and prevent them from getting into a large cluster to stay warm.  Local beekeeper had that happen to several of his hies.  When he did the autopsy he found they bees dead, in multiple small clusters throughout his hives.
A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
10/27/2024 5:03:55 PM EDT
[#6]
Wasn’t planning on getting back into bees until spring. Friend told me there were some bees on the property he started leasing for cattle. His Mexican workers had put diesel on 3 hives that they hit with tractors.  Thought they were in what’s left of a barn that was falling down. Found an abandoned hive that had been knocked over on its back side.  Getting everything ready to go load them up and put them in the field by the house as soon as it gets dark.  One of those go get them and hope I don’t kill them in the process, or they will for sure not make it when the rain comes in or the Mexicans see them and put fuel on them.
11/5/2024 6:59:58 PM EDT
[#7]
I'm just getting into it.  We need a beekeeping forum.
Join the VCDL https://vcdl.org/
Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
Sic Semper Tyrannis
12/9/2024 4:04:18 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote History
Originally Posted By shooter_gregg:
When I do a removal, I cut the comb to fit into an empty frame. Watch the cell orientation, especially with brood. I take rubber bands and make two cross patterns, like X on the frame. You don't need foundation. The bees will attach it to the frame rather quickly. They will also attack the bands. They seem to like eating them.
View Quote



One of my bee mentors taught me to do this.  He was a mail carrier and had LOTS of rubber bands.

It was very successful the few times I did it.
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
12/9/2024 4:06:35 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote History
Originally Posted By runs_with_scissors:
Wasn’t planning on getting back into bees until spring. Friend told me there were some bees on the property he started leasing for cattle. His Mexican workers had put diesel on 3 hives that they hit with tractors.  Thought they were in what’s left of a barn that was falling down. Found an abandoned hive that had been knocked over on its back side.  Getting everything ready to go load them up and put them in the field by the house as soon as it gets dark.  One of those go get them and hope I don’t kill them in the process, or they will for sure not make it when the rain comes in or the Mexicans see them and put fuel on them.
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What in the world?

Why would they intentionally kill those beehives?



Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
12/9/2024 5:09:51 PM EDT
[Last Edit: shooter_gregg][Edited] [#10]
I got a call from a homeowner who said there was a hive in their soffit. They didn't live there, just a weekend house. They got the news second hand from the Mexican workers doing repair work on the house. They "no speakee englich too good".
I went out ready to do a trap out or whatever it came down to. I'm walking around and there are red wasps everywhere. All the buildings have nests. I can't find any bees anywhere. I even notice wasps coming out through cracks in the masonry. I get to talking with one of the crews and they didn't know the difference between "avispas" and "abejas". They were trying to tell the owners about the red "bees". Serious breakdown in communication. Owners sent me a check for my troubles.
Thulsa Doom-“Consider the riddle of steel”


Hint. The riddle of steel is the will to act.
12/26/2024 9:14:55 AM EDT
[#11]
My father gave me a hive kit for Christmas and has ordered a nuc for this spring.  He used to raise bees when he lived on my farm, as did his father, and his grandfather. I have all of the old equipment still in the honey house beside my workshop.  

I'm pretty excited.  The bees are coming from an apiary here in the area.  I'm going to contact them and ask if they offer classes before the nuc is ready.  I plan to place the hive in my blueberry orchard which is near my veggie garden.  

Wish me luck!
12/28/2024 12:52:23 AM EDT
[Last Edit: cuttingedge][Edited] [#12]
Quote History
Originally Posted By 57plymouth:
My father gave me a hive kit for Christmas and has ordered a nuc for this spring.  He used to raise bees when he lived on my farm, as did his father, and his grandfather. I have all of the old equipment still in the honey house beside my workshop.  

I'm pretty excited.  The bees are coming from an apiary here in the area.  I'm going to contact them and ask if they offer classes before the nuc is ready.  I plan to place the hive in my blueberry orchard which is near my veggie garden.  

Wish me luck!
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My strong advice is to get that older equipment inspected from your state inspector before using it. American Foulbrood spores can stay viable for 80+ years.
12/28/2024 9:33:17 AM EDT
[#13]
I'll do that.  Thanks.
1/1/2025 11:30:28 PM EDT
[Last Edit: runs_with_scissors][Edited] [#14]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:



What in the world?

Why would they intentionally kill those beehives?



View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By runs_with_scissors:
Wasn’t planning on getting back into bees until spring. Friend told me there were some bees on the property he started leasing for cattle. His Mexican workers had put diesel on 3 hives that they hit with tractors.  Thought they were in what’s left of a barn that was falling down. Found an abandoned hive that had been knocked over on its back side.  Getting everything ready to go load them up and put them in the field by the house as soon as it gets dark.  One of those go get them and hope I don’t kill them in the process, or they will for sure not make it when the rain comes in or the Mexicans see them and put fuel on them.



What in the world?

Why would they intentionally kill those beehives?




It was his workers that come from across the border and work for all but winter.  They didn’t like being stung after hitting them with the tractors.  After they were told to stay away from that area because there were bees in it.  Chopped up a locus tree with a brush hog in the process.  Found that out when a thorn went through the sole of my shoe and into my foot.  Bees seem to be doing well. Give them a small jar of syrup the weeks we have warmer temperatures since there’s not much blooming. Had a few visit me at my hunting blind and porch the last couple weeks. Come spring when the acre field they are sitting in starts to bloom that got heavily seeded in crimson clover.  They will probably go nuts.  Planning on going ahead and splitting them when I put them in new hive boxes and inspect them.  Built 3 swarm traps at work just need to paint them and figure out where I’m going to put them.  Might have more bees than I want after this year.
1/3/2025 1:10:10 PM EDT
[#15]
I am just getting back into beekeeping. I was on hiatus when my hive died a couple of years ago, and then I had hip surgery. Now I'm getting active again.

This past summer my son observed that some bees had re-inhabited my hive, so I've tended them some. I put some syrup out for them, and added a super to the hive. Now it's wrapped with a black, silvered beehive wrap. I put some Hive Alive at the top of the bottom super in October, and  checked them last week; they looked very active and had consumed about 3/4 of the Hive Alive. The temp was about 35 f and a few of them came out to greet me; one landed on my wife's lapel!

I consider this hive a gift from God and intend to keep it hell or high water.



Some people say "If you have bees,  you have varroa." Should I just put apivar strips in the hive come springtime and call it good?

I'm considering using 2 or more varroa treatments to keep the mites from getting used to one type.
"The Creator may be seen in all the works of his hands, but none so clearly in the wise economy of the honey bee."

While the rest of us are descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats.
-attrib. MarkTwain
1/3/2025 6:12:45 PM EDT
[#16]
Don't treat blindly for varroa, take the time to get counts before and after.
"You know how butt ugly people are said to have hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree.

Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
1/24/2025 12:52:19 PM EDT
[#17]
Is there a better jacket than this currently available?
1/27/2025 12:32:19 PM EDT
[#18]
I prefer this one.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT0KJ8D?tag=arfcom00-20 Even though it's from Amazon I would buy again. In fact, I will probably order another as a spare.  The quality seems the same as my old Dadant. My opinion is to stay away from the astronaut style head covering unless you like to get stung on the nose/chin. The round veil gives a bit more room in front of your face when leaning forward.
A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
1/30/2025 6:41:48 PM EDT
[#19]
I'm waiting on spring.   I went from 18 hives in the spring to 10 heading into winter.  I had some bear issues that I hope I fixed with an electric fence. I also had a couple hives developed laying workers in September and didn't have enough time to requeen those hives.    I think I'm going to re queen all my hives that have two year or older queens in the spring.    I'm hoping all my hives survive the winter because I've got a couple people who want to purchase nucs from me.
1341

I Love the taste of Hydraulic Oil in the Morning.
2/26/2025 2:21:44 PM EDT
[#20]
I haven't really been following or doing much with my bees, between neck surgery and moving my business, my hives have suffered. I've been reading reports of up to 60% over-wintering losses. My daughter is at some sort of USDA pollinating seminar, she asked about it, they seem to be scrambling, no one knows if there's a new virus or what.  Anyone here know more?

https://www.austindailyherald.com/2025/02/beekeepers-say-catastrophic-honeybee-losses-are-cause-for-alarm/
2/26/2025 5:46:05 PM EDT
[#21]
There are reports of huge die offs this year, especially among the commercial folks, but quite a few hobbyists have reported the same, including myself, I'm down to 1 live hive now.

No word on a overall cause as of yet.
Of my own dead hives, only 2 I don't have a possible cause of death other than suspected disease.
"You know how butt ugly people are said to have hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree.

Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
3/5/2025 9:43:29 PM EDT
[#22]
Just now finding this thread, thanks to cuttingedge. I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of being a beekeeper. It's a ton of fun and I look forward to getting my first bit of honey out of them.
3/5/2025 10:44:16 PM EDT
[#23]
I'm in need of a bottling machine. I hate to buy small and then have to upgrade in a few years.

I just checked my hives. Most are almost out of resources. I am feeding this weekend. My daughter is interested in learning about the business to see if she wants to take over in a few years.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
3/6/2025 10:44:42 PM EDT
[#24]
Need a little advice on the hive I saved back in late fall. Original plan was to split the hive when I went I put them in new boxes.  Last month we had a lot of rain and the culvert for the creek that goes through my field. Got clogged up and flooded the field the worst I’ve ever seen it. Water ended up submerging the bottom deep and 1/2 of the top deep. Hive is only 2 deeps no supers. Only submerged for about 12 hours. Been keeping a feeder in the entrance since February when we started having days of false spring and back to winter. Used thermals to see what they looked before and after the field flooded this past weekend I started seeing more heat in the bottom box at night when it was cold and things had time to normalize from the day time. Thinking the hive probably isn’t going to be strong enough to split but I’m new. Is there a good way to tell if it is strong enough to split? Planning on inspecting them next week and curious the best way to tell if they are ready to be split. As I’ll be checking them more often after I put them in new boxes. More than willing to wait a little while to split for a second hive to keep what I have going, but if they are strong enough. Wouldn’t mind going ahead and splitting them.
3/6/2025 11:28:02 PM EDT
[Last Edit: shooter_gregg][Edited] [#25]
Any split should have three frames of brood and a couple frames of resources. Wait until you have a warm day and inspect the hive. Unless the flood water actually damaged the hive the bees don't care. This time of year they will probably be laying brood in the upper deep. If you see brood, the queen is OK. Make sure they have syrup and pollen or some kind of protein. My chicken feeder gets mobbed by bees in the spring. Let us know about your inspection. If you need to talk,  IM me.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
3/6/2025 11:42:45 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote History
Originally Posted By shooter_gregg:
Any split should have three frames of brood and a couple frames of resources. Wait until you have a warm day and inspect the hive. Unless the flood water actually damaged the hive the bees don't care. This time of year they will probably be laying brood in the upper deep. If you see brood, the queen is OK. Make sure they have syrup and pollen or some kind of protein. My chicken feeder gets mobbed by bees in the spring. Let us know about your inspection. If you need to talk,  IM me.
View Quote

Thanks planing on putting them in new boxes so I’ll probably try and get some good pictures to post when I do. Bottom box is coming apart and the top one is not aligned correctly. Had to put a tarp over it to ensure water didn’t get in through cracks that they had left openings in the propolis to use as extra entrances.
3/7/2025 9:40:20 AM EDT
[#27]
I will say this about a hive that had floodwater rise into it, the silt in the water coated the inside of the cells and the bees would no longer use the bottom box.  I thought they would clean it but they didn't.  I finally pitched the drawn comb and replaced it with new and they went back downstairs.  Something to keep in mind as they probably won't be split-able without 2 brood boxes of drawn comb unless you are breaking them down hard.
A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
3/10/2025 9:53:53 PM EDT
[#28]
I have these feeders from Amazon. they work very well, and I've been happy with them. However, I dropped one of the center guards the other day and it broke. I've modeled a new one and it's printing downstairs in my 3D printer. I hope it fits, because that could be a real time and money saver if I can recreate these when they break. The actual body of it seems much stronger than the center guard. The side pieces seem much more stout.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QCFS74X?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4

3/10/2025 10:39:42 PM EDT
[#29]
I'm switching to Bob Binnie's method. Bucket feeders With a lid that has a 71mm hole in it. 71mm is the size of a mason jar ring. You can put quart jars instead of buckets if the colony is small. He has a video about it.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
3/11/2025 9:03:18 PM EDT
[#30]
It was over 70F when I got home from work today so it was the first opportunity to see how many hives I have left.
I had I thought three pretty strong hives last November when I closed them up and insulated them, and three weak ones.
i knew I had one active hive based on just watching the boxes after work the past week or two.   Saw some bees going in/out of two others.

Well those eere probably just bees from the one hive checking things out,
Based on the amount of sugar and winter feed patties on the feeder boards, most of them never even made it very long.
I dont know about any new viruses.  I assumed it was a couple cold blasts and high winds we had in December and January that did the weaker ones on, cluster probably wasn't big enough during those times.   The one I was most disappointed about had been a really strong hive the past 2-3 years.  They did get to some of the feeder board, didn't clean it all out, and they still had lots of honey left in the deep boxes.

So this weekend I will be cleaning out those boxes, and get them prepped for some package bees I will get in April.
3/11/2025 10:11:54 PM EDT
[#31]
Heading out to feed.
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I need s bigger ride.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
3/11/2025 11:39:08 PM EDT
[#32]
Had a great spring/summer with my bees. Additionally, I rescued 2 hives in town early summer and split 2 other hives. Then the weather got really strange in the Fall (sunny and warm)and winter hit late. I ended up having 6 strong hives swarm and a good friend locally lost 9 hives. Both of us may not have the experience or the number of hives some have here but, between us have a number of years of experience with historically healthy bees.
Honestly it's pretty disturbing.
AMERICA IS BACK!

Selling dime bags of primers.
3/17/2025 11:14:33 PM EDT
[#33]
Feel like I may have hit a snag. Wanting to move my bees about 175 yards from where they are at to insure they don’t end up in high water again.  Do I really need to move them 3 miles from their current location or only 3 feet? Knew you moved them when it was dark to insure all of the bees were in the box. Do they not reposition their natural gps in the morning when start to gather resources again?
3/17/2025 11:45:52 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote History
Originally Posted By runs_with_scissors:
Feel like I may have hit a snag. Wanting to move my bees about 175 yards from where they are at to insure they don’t end up in high water again.  Do I really need to move them 3 miles from their current location or only 3 feet? Knew you moved them when it was dark to insure all of the bees were in the box. Do they not reposition their natural gps in the morning when start to gather resources again?
View Quote

I'm sure others will chime in and I am no bee brain surgeon but, I've moved plenty of hives at night when most are inside and placed tree branches with leaves on them and obstacles in front of their entrance. When they leave their hive in the AM they will notice the change in surroundings and recalibrate their location. If it isn't to hot and the time is right you can keep the entrance sealed for a day or two and then place the foliage in front of the hive. I've never had an issue with the method.
AMERICA IS BACK!

Selling dime bags of primers.
3/18/2025 4:29:08 PM EDT
[Last Edit: shooter_gregg][Edited] [#35]
If you move them less than 2 miles, you need to put some kind of barrier in front of the entrance. Something to block their view enough so that they take an orientation flight. Move it at night and pile brush or something that makes the world look different to them. You could lean a piece of plywood against the front of the hive. When they take the orientation flight, they will have a new "home" programmed into their brain.

ETA: I don't mean to block them in, though two days locked inside would probably make them take a new flight.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
3/18/2025 6:53:18 PM EDT
[#36]
I've moved my hives 100 feet. Just picked them up and moved them. They were in sight of the old location, and would have found them eventually.

Only warning is give is don't close them off until just before you move them. I lost 4 of my hives due to suffocating or too hot, even though it was in the 70s, but we're closed for 4 hours. Note that these were vented, not total blocks.

2 other hives eventually absconded later.

"You know how butt ugly people are said to have hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree.

Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
3/18/2025 7:52:12 PM EDT
[Last Edit: 1st-Armored-Division][Edited] [#37]
Many decades ago, I did field work for over 1000 hives. The hives we had were all well established and not moved around too much. We did have others who would bring their bees down from Minnesota to Florida, and I would assist them into the new field home here.
Now, if we had diseased bees, they did get moved to be killed. We sealed up the entrances with our screen mesh / wood set up. At night, the bees don't really see all too well IMO. But, if you had any bright light lighting up the area ( like from our truck) they can see well enough to quickly fly directly at you and sting. Ka-Pow They will also crawl everywhere in the dark stinging anything they can. This is while the hive or hives, as the case may be, are in a hole in the ground getting gas and then fire. I disliked doing it big time, but it was required by the state inspectors. Thankfully we rarely had to do it. Other option was to kill the bees with cyanide. I chose to never mess with that.
Edit-
The man from Minnesota, with his bees, would bring them down to my bosses area in the winter. Orange honey crop is big money here in Florida. They would bring in a few hundred hives by flatbed trucks. This character from Minnesota was a Marine combat vet from Vietnam. Never knew the term PTSD back then.. but, that guy was a very hardcore Marine. Sometimes, the GD threads bring back so many old memories.
3/29/2025 4:55:11 PM EDT
[#38]
Well I finally got to put my rescued hive in new boxes. That joker was slam full. Didn’t expect maybe half of the amount of bees I had. Went ahead and split them up into two hives. Did run into a problem that the farm manger of one of the farms I service is going to help me out on. Apparently I lost the queen at some point. Didn’t find any eggs, just a lot of larva and some ready to hatch out.  Next day or so he’s going to get me a couple frames with eggs and possibly a couple queens if his friend has some.
3/30/2025 1:02:40 PM EDT
[#39]
I should have fed more last fall. My hives are a little small. I put pollen patties on the second week of February and syrup at the end of February. The winds this spring have been excessive, keeping them from foraging as much. Plus with a drought, there isn't much to forage.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
4/22/2025 10:10:54 PM EDT
[#40]
Last week on Tuesday I checked the hive I did a walk away split after putting them in new boxes. Didn’t find the queens. Did find a freshly hatched queen cell in the hive I suspected the queen wasn’t in. The stronger hive I believe the queen was in had a queen cell and seemed like they were wanting to build upward. Went ahead and added a second deep to both. Along with putting some swarm traps out near by. Just incase they swam when the new queen hatches. Debating checking the weaker hive this weekend to make sure I have some eggs and don’t need to rob a frame from the other hive. Hope the girls become more docile as time goes on. If not, might have to look into replacing the queens next year. First bees I had spoiled me with how docile they were. Could bump their hive with the mower and not even bother them.
4/27/2025 7:51:54 AM EDT
[#41]
I got my nuc on Friday morning, and transferred it into my hive yesterday.

Looked all over my little honey house (that my great grandfather built) and I could not find a smoker.  I moved them anyway, but they were more stressed than I would like.  Yesterday evening they seemed very happy so I think I'm worked up over nothing.
4/27/2025 8:25:27 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote History
Originally Posted By 57plymouth:
I got my nuc on Friday morning, and transferred it into my hive yesterday.

Looked all over my little honey house (that my great grandfather built) and I could not find a smoker.  I moved them anyway, but they were more stressed than I would like.  Yesterday evening they seemed very happy so I think I'm worked up over nothing.
View Quote

Very likely. I find myself rarely using the smoker anymore, and don't remember using it for transferring nucs.
I keep the smoker lit, yes, cause I do need it occasionally.
"You know how butt ugly people are said to have hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree.

Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
4/28/2025 6:49:04 AM EDT
[#43]
They seem to be settling in.  I overthink things pretty often.
4/28/2025 4:44:37 PM EDT
[#44]
Attached File
"You know how butt ugly people are said to have hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree.

Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
4/30/2025 9:16:53 PM EDT
[#45]
Swarm season is in full swing here. We have caught two in swarm traps and one from a tree. I've made 9 swarm traps and plan to make 8 more. Best part is none of my hives have swarmed as far as I can tell. The metal closures are a big help when transporting the traps to the apiary. These are around 5" in diameter and easily accommodate a 1.5" entry hole. Are y'all catching any yet?
4/30/2025 9:54:46 PM EDT
[#46]
I literally those metal doors. I bought plastic ones off Amazon and they warped.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
5/26/2025 12:20:19 PM EDT
[#47]
Has anyone requeened an aggressive hive, and did it actually change their temperament? Both of my hives seem to be meaner than a brimmer bull. Can’t even get 30 yards from the hives without getting attacked.
5/26/2025 12:21:49 PM EDT
[#48]
Make sure there isn't something bothering them. Skunk or yellowjackets
"You know how butt ugly people are said to have hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree.

Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
5/26/2025 2:34:55 PM EDT
[#49]
Did this come on suddenly or over time? You could have had a swarm with the old queen flying away with half of the colony. The new queen hatched and does a mating flight. She meets some feral or africanized drones  and starts laying bad genetics. I have had some hives turn mean after winter and I think that is what happened to them.

I haven't heard many stories lately of Africanized bees. I think that as they moved north, their genetics got diluted over time. Africanized bees don't survive as well as native bees because of their tendency to build small hives and swarm often. They are like bad tenants in apartment complexes. They don't take care of their nest and move often. Cold weather tends to eliminate small hives especially in harsher climates. This is just my opinion and is worth what you paid for it.
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.
5/26/2025 2:36:00 PM EDT
[#50]
Has anyone heard from Kitties lately?
I live in the country because monsters are attracted to cities.

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Okay I'll start the beekeeping thread (Page 149 of 154)