Two weeks ago I began extracting from my 6 hives, after beginning I noticed brood in all of the supers on 3 of the hives so I left them alone. It is now almost October, and even though it is 81 degrees today, the warm weather will be gone soon. I am looking for advice on, should I extract in October if the weather is decent, and should i be dropping down in supers even though the hive appears packed with bees?
Don't worry about the number of bees. Many of them are old and will die soon no matter what you do. Trust me, it is easier to clear those supers and extract them now than when the bees are guarding them like it was their last drop of honey. It is also easier to extract the warm supers than it is to heat them up after they get cold and your extracting space is cold. Congratulations on having a crop!
you have pushed back your timing for a mite treatment-brood in the suppers most likley had a mite load under the cap
congratulations-you have doubled your mite load-forget about the last ten pounds of honey-get the mites under control
or you will not make it through winter---RDY-B
I have never treated for mites, and I believe here in upstate NY near the Vermont border it is too late now anyway.
I do appreciate the advice, if you think I can still treat in October I will try it.
Quote from: hvac professor on September 30, 2014, 08:44:23 PM
I have never treated for mites, and I believe here in upstate NY near the Vermont border it is too late now anyway.
I do appreciate the advice, if you think I can still treat in October I will try it.
Hvac,
Congratulations on extracting 2 gallons of honey. Also congratulation on keeping bees without using chemicals.
I also never treated my hives. There are also a lot of other beeks doing the same thing for a long time. When you treat a hive, the bees no longer have to adapt to protect themselves from the parasites and diseases.
I see you have been keeping bees since 2011. How long have you had the 3 hives you have now?
Jim
Hello Sawdstmakr, I have 6 hives and only extracted from 3 of them and got 15 gallons of honey, 180 pounds.
I lost 6 hives last winter and purchased 5 more this spring. Last winter was the first I have ever lost any hives, was a brutal winter.
Quote from: sawdstmakr on September 30, 2014, 10:02:52 PM
Quote from: hvac professor on September 30, 2014, 08:44:23 PM
I have never treated for mites, and I believe here in upstate NY near the Vermont border it is too late now anyway.
I do appreciate the advice, if you think I can still treat in October I will try it.
Hvac,
Congratulations on extracting 2 gallons of honey. Also congratulation on keeping bees without using chemicals.
I also never treated my hives. There are also a lot of other beeks doing the same thing for a long time. When you treat a hive, the bees no longer have to adapt to protect themselves from the parasites and diseases.
I see you have been keeping bees since 2011. How long have you had the 3 hives you have now?
Jim
Wow, Jim - you have never treated, even though you are in FLA ? I try to treat as little as possible, but do use MAQS in the fall because the mite drops get so high (I am in MA). I'd be afraid to just let that go - any thoughts?
dang hvac, that's some busy bees.
you can extract now, if you remove the super. Do not break up the brood boxes though. they have been working on sealing those puppies for awhile now and that will help them through winter staying sealed is how I think of it. like the others mentioned I think. the worse thing is you are going to have cooler temps when extracting and therefor it won't flow easier for you, may have to use a bit of a heater or warm area when extracting, but everything should be fine. Now is the time to be letting them bee though and letting them finish up and prepare for winter as best they can though imo. langstroth hives look like they fit ok to me, but truth is, they do not, fit that well to keep out bitter cold or hold in heat, prevent moisture from seeping in, and widening the gaps even when it freezes and expands thus letting in even more cold and moisture.
Quote from: tjc1 on October 01, 2014, 08:12:27 PM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on September 30, 2014, 10:02:52 PM
Quote from: hvac professor on September 30, 2014, 08:44:23 PM
I have never treated for mites, and I believe here in upstate NY near the Vermont border it is too late now anyway.
I do appreciate the advice, if you think I can still treat in October I will try it.
Hvac,
Congratulations on extracting 2 gallons of honey. Also congratulation on keeping bees without using chemicals.
I also never treated my hives. There are also a lot of other beeks doing the same thing for a long time. When you treat a hive, the bees no longer have to adapt to protect themselves from the parasites and diseases.
I see you have been keeping bees since 2011. How long have you had the 3 hives you have now?
Jim
Wow, Jim - you have never treated, even though you are in FLA ? I try to treat as little as possible, but do use MAQS in the fall because the mite drops get so high (I am in MA). I'd be afraid to just let that go - any thoughts?
TJ,
I lost a few hives my first 2 years. They either bought hives or splits from them. My third year I removed/collected about 10 feral hives. They all survived that winter with no treatments, most had old comb from third original hives, yet they all survived the winter with very strong hives in the spring. I really like feral bees. The are good survivors.
I too, am in upstate ny, but the far opposite end. I always try to harvest on the second weekend of Oct. every year. This year watching the long range forecast, i did it two days early. more often then not it works well for me. There's usually enough goldenrod and asters left out to allow them to back fill the brood chambers. Don't worry about a large population, as soon as the cold hits they will appreciate the close quarters. I too, refuse to treat. Have had better results since i gave that up several years ago.
Take the supers off now for the winter. a smaller area to keep warm
We have a keeper in the town that off sets his hives in the fall about 1/4" to 3/8" front to back to ventilate the hive. So I don't think that sealing the hive is real important. He says it also gives the bees a exit when the snow is deep and they get a warm day to cleanse. He has been doing this for years.