I love it when new beeks ask questions! That's how I learn. Lately there have been very few questions asked.
Why don't you more experienced beeks list a question that we "new guys and gals" should be asking, then add an answer and other beeks can add to your answer if they like.
Larry
over the winter i think the most often asked questions are about equipment. one thing that gets missed sometimes is the starvation risk as you get into later winter and early spring. when it gets close to package time, questions are about installing, feeding, etc.
guess after they are tucked in for the winter, we don't think about them so much.
I will ask a question.
Is it good or bad that our weather here in middle TN has been warmer then usual? for the bees.
Now I'll explain why I ask. I had plenty of stores last year for my few hives. But it was really cold for most of Dec and Jan., at least for around here. The bees stayed inside for the two months. This year we have had a 60 degree day about every week. The bees are out flying one to two days every week. One Russian hive that I started with a package this summer was bringing in pollen Monday and one a day last week. My concern is that they will eat more of the syrup/honey on the warmer days and run low of stores.
If you have a 60 degree day, you have the option of taking a peek inside or at the least lifting them to judge weight and amount of stores. At that temp you can sure feed them some fondant or damp sugar in a tray on your topbars. The question I think newbies and all of us need to ask constantly, is what is my mite load and what can I do about it and what do I need to do about it. Just letting them die is not beekeeping. I am convinced that most losses past a failed or squished queen can be laid at the mites door.
"What are the bees trying to do, and how can I help them do it..."
Most of what a beekeeper does is, or should be, in harmony with the bees natural life cycle. The one thing that we do that is in opposition to what the bees want is the prevention of swarms. So new beekeepers should ask lots of questions about why bees swarm and what can be done to prevent the loss of bees before the main flow. That has more to do with how much honey your hive will produce than just about anything else.
In the process of understanding swarm prevention, a new beek will pick up lots of understanding about the bees' life cycle, how the hive raises a new queen, and the timing of brood rearing. All of this information will provide a sound basis for being a good beek, so I think this is a good place to start.
Ok,I do have a question about stopping my hives from swarming.
As PART of a swarm prevention strategy (checking for queen cells, available room etc).
Could you place an excluded on the bottom board to prevent the old queen from swarming during the swarming season??
I mark my queens so there easy to see.
One possibility I have thought about is that the old Queen may die or get killed and it becomes Queenless.
Ok smash me guys.
Cheers
Steve
"Where is the nearest strip club?" and "How many ones do you have?"
Oh, I guess you mean beekeeping related questions! :-D
Larry, you know that there are members here from all over the planet and their beekeeping methods and yours should , by necessity differ. The questions you should ask is "When do my spring flow(s) start ?" and "Am I prepared?". You're in a great area for citrus blossom and if you were to move your bees 3-4 mi west after that you'd catch a good gallberry flow!
Scott
Larry,
We have been building a FAQ page on the PennApic website. While some of the info is tailored to PennApic and Northern beekeeping, a couple may be useful to you.
http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html (http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html)
Perhaps some of these can help someone.
As a newbee I have a question. I have recently learned (I think)when to add a new super for the bees to fill with honey. But how do I tell when to start removing supers?
Quote from: hardwood on December 21, 2011, 10:29:49 PM
"Where is the nearest strip club?" and "How many ones do you have?"
To add to that Scott:
Where is the nearest ATM and how much is the cover charge? LoL
Its not necessarily a question but more of a statement to brand new beeks-dont get lost in the details just yet. Its easy to get overwhelmed by the many different gadgets and styles of beekeeping i.e SC or not, SBB or not, frame size and configurations. I would recommend to dive right in with a hive, get it to survive a winter and then fine tune from there.
Now what did I do with my Bunny Bucks? :)
Quote from: Anybrew on December 21, 2011, 10:25:33 PM
Could you place an excluded on the bottom board to prevent the old queen from swarming during the swarming season??
The short answer is it will clog up with drones and they will die.
Thanks for all of the replies!!! Let's keep it going!
Scott, Being that I am a retired truck driver, I know where the nearest strip club is and I always have a good supply of ones handy, but yes, I am referring to beekeeping. :lau:
BjornBee, I will go check your site out later.
I must admit that I need some training when it comes to mites. Maybe Scott can help me with this.
A local question that I have is: Are there any beekeeping clubs in Brevard County, Florida? I have been looking and looking with no success. I may have to drive up to I-4 and SR44 where Scott goes.
Quote from: BjornBee on December 21, 2011, 11:18:11 PM
Larry,
We have been building a FAQ page on the PennApic website. While some of the info is tailored to PennApic and Northern beekeeping, a couple may be useful to you.
http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html (http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html)
Perhaps some of these can help someone.
Thanks for posting this site! It is helpful!
I noticed that the last 3 questions don't have answers to them.
Larry
Quote from: Larry Bees on December 22, 2011, 12:15:04 PM
Quote from: BjornBee on December 21, 2011, 11:18:11 PM
Larry,
We have been building a FAQ page on the PennApic website. While some of the info is tailored to PennApic and Northern beekeeping, a couple may be useful to you.
http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html (http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html)
Perhaps some of these can help someone.
Thanks for posting this site! It is helpful!
I noticed that the last 3 questions don't have answers to them.
Larry
Thank you.
Yeah....the site is a work in progress.
Way too many cookie jars, way to few hands!
I'd be happy to help anytime Larry.....just give me a call.
Scott
Thanks Robo, fair enough about the Drones. So I suppose the excluder would work at the expense of many dead drones. So cleaning it weekly and removing Queen cells could work, and would it then also help in mite control? Luckily we don't have them yet.
Cheers
Steve
Quote from: Anybrew on December 22, 2011, 04:27:22 PM
Thanks Robo, fair enough about the Drones. So I suppose the excluder would work at the expense of many dead drones. So cleaning it weekly and removing Queen cells could work, and would it then also help in mite control? Luckily we don't have them yet.
Cheers
Steve
I love Dubbo! No an excluder is not really a good idea. The fact that the queen may not be able to leave the hive is not going to stop swarm preparations. The bees will still backfill the broodnest, starve the queen for flight, etc. There will be no egg laying so your production of new bees will stop. If the queen gets small enough, she might get through the excluder anyway.
Removing queen cells is never a good idea (unless you are replacing the queen and don't want the genetics of the old queen). Anytime you remove queen cells and don't add a new queen or queen cells from outside, you risk ending up queenless.
The best technique to prevent swarms is to keep the brood nest open so the bees don't feel crowded. And if you plan mite control around a brood break, you can do a "false swarm" split to create a new hive and avoid a swarm at the same time.
Trying to force a hive to not swarm is not very effective. Even the queen excluder, assuming you get all the drones out of every week (difficult as they get stuck) a determined queen will get through it anyway. Clipping will just make them leave with the first virgin. What you need to do is set the stage so they don't WANT to swarm.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm)
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfallacies.htm#queencells (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfallacies.htm#queencells)
Hey FRAMEshift and Michael, now thats the sort of info I was seeking. Some very good advice there to think on whilst suckin a beer.
ps Dubbo is a good place for a beer for sure, I reckon the good ol USA wouldn't be to bad if you picked the right spot away from the big Cities. I might have to look into that.
Cheers
Steve
Quote from: Anybrew on December 22, 2011, 11:30:43 PM
ps Dubbo is a good place for a beer for sure, I reckon the good ol USA wouldn't be to bad if you picked the right spot away from the big Cities. I might have to look into that.
Steve, I visited Dubbo in 2008 and really enjoyed it. If you find yourself traveling to the Great State of North Carolina, let me know and I will show you some pleasant places away from the cities. :-D
Quote from: ShaneJ on December 22, 2011, 02:23:05 AM
As a newbee I have a question. I have recently learned (I think)when to add a new super for the bees to fill with honey. But how do I tell when to start removing supers?
Does anyone have an answer to this one? :pop:
Your on FRAMEshift I will truly keep that in mind thanks for the offer, I remember you said you stayed in Dub vegas (Dubbo) before.
Cheers
Steve
>how do I tell when to start removing supers?
The nice thing is, you can do it at your leisure on your time frame. I like to wait until the bees are clustered from the cold as I can assess better what to leave them and what to take AND there are no bees in the supers... but you can harvest most anytime from the start of the flow to when winter really sets in.
OK, the advantage of using SBB is that when mites fall out of the hive through the SBB, they cannot get back into the hive.
If this is true, then how do the mites get into the hive in the first place?
Larry
Quote from: Larry Bees on December 23, 2011, 10:11:52 AM
If this is true, then how do the mites get into the hive in the first place?
When mites fall on the ground, they can be eaten by ants so they never get a chance to climb back up. But in general mites travel in the phoretic state, clinging to adult bees. As bees drift from hive to hive, the mites are spread.
Thanks Frameshift ! Larry
Quote from: Michael Bush on December 23, 2011, 09:24:03 AM
>how do I tell when to start removing supers?
The nice thing is, you can do it at your leisure on your time frame. I like to wait until the bees are clustered from the cold as I can assess better what to leave them and what to take AND there are no bees in the supers... but you can harvest most anytime from the start of the flow to when winter really sets in.
Thanks, Michael. :)
I would ask from a local beekeeper:
What are the main pollen and nectar sources in my area? When do they bloom? How is their pollen and nectar? How reliably are they (e.g. every year, every 3 years etc.)?
It cannot be found in books or the internet and requires many years of observation.
"how to tell when to remove honey supers..."
As Michael said, there is no real "end time" meaning you can't leave the honey onto long in a given season.
But you can take it off too early. You want the frame(s) to be at least 80-90 capped. What you are trying to make sure of is that the honey is "ripe", i.e. the moisture content has been reduced to around 18% (a bit higher with some types of clover). If the moisture content is too high when you harvest, the honey can ferment.
If the bees have capped the honey you know it is ripe. But sometimes you will see a frame or more where you know the honey has been stored in the cells for a month or more but it is not capped. That is usually nectar stored near the end of the flow and the bees just ran out of the required carbohydrate intake to make the wax.
If you have uncapped honey you think may be ripe but just not capped, you can shake the frame upside down and if the nectar runs out, it is still too thin. But if you shake the frame and the nectar/honey stays in the cell, it is probably OK to harvest. You can also test the nectar/honey in the cell with a tooth pick to see how thick it is. Or if you have big bucks, you can buy a refractor and test the moisture content that way.