Hi All,
My Name is Joe, I'm from Australia and for right or wrong, have dived into beekeeping head first.
Let me start by saying i am a total novice who up until this point had only interacted with bees through the honey on my breakfast.
I thought this thread might be a good way to catalog my miss adventures as i get into the hobby and get some pointers along the way. I am definitely open to suggestion and would love any advice more seasoned people could offer.
This last winter (I'm Australian and its spring now) i built myself a 8 frame langstroph hive and super and started to look at options for getting some bees.
So i built a bait hive in the hope i could catch a swarm. A good friend has a house that each year a swarm arrives at to make residence in their air-conditioner. I baited the swarm trap with lemongrass oil and rubbed bees wax all over the inside in the hope that some bees might find the 10 frame super a good sized home.
As luck would have it though, the minute i delivered it the hour or so away from my house, i was told by another friend that a swarm was in a local park only minutes away.
I was completely unprepared and had nothing to house them in but a cardboard box as the hive i had built over winter was being stored else where and the bait hive was already a long way away.
Despite the spur of the moment decision, I packed the car with my jacket, a ladder and the cardboard box and headed out. By this stage it was about 9pm. I managed to locate the swarm hanging onto the underside of a leg thick branch about 4m off the ground.
I positioned the box under the mass and as gently as i could began scooping bees from he branch with my gloved hand. As luck would have it, i got 95% of the bees into the box in the dark and once it was all taped up i loaded things into the car and headed home. It was close to 11pm at this stage so i placed the box in the backyard and cut an entry hole into the side for some air.
That evening i discovered that my bee jacket was not in fact bee proof and the pants i had worn were also far from sting resistant. I managed to not only get my first sting since i was a kid but also 10 or so more.
The following day the bees seemed quite happy, they were making what looked like orientation flights and were coming and going from the entrance in an orderly manner. That afternoon I decided it was time to relocate the bees from the cardboard to the hive i had. That's when things started to go wrong. I put the hive in a small alcove that had some other household and gardening things being stored there. I thought this would be a good place as it was sheltered but also got some sun and was out of the way of the daily goings ons of the garden. i removed some of the middle frames from the hive and opened the cardboard box. The bees were hanging in a cluster on the lid so i positioned the box over the hive and gave it a sharp tap with my hand like i had seen countless beekeepers do on youtube. Two thirds of the bees fell into the hive and the other third fell amongst/into all the junk that was being stored around the hive. I immediately wished i had chosen a clearer location to do the transfer. Bees were everywhere, flying, in buckets, clinging to an old folding table and caught in an old painting dropsheet. I got a few of the really badly stuck bees out and tried to get them into the hive.
That when I noticed that the bees in the hive were fanning their wings. I had read this can mean they are sending out pheromones to call in the rest of the group to the queen, so i assumed that the queen was in the box and the rest of the bees would find their way in in time. To cut a long story short, they didnt.
I left them over night to sort them selves out and the following day they had mostly climbed out of the hive and were clustered in and around all the junk.
I got out the dust pan and brush and began sweeping them up as best i could and put them back into the hive. I got most of them back in but as careful as i was a few bees were crushed in the process. I ended up with so many bees massed in the box that i decided not to place back the remaining frames until the hive calmed down a little more as they were at this stage very agitated. I was planning on doing that this afternoon but when i looked at the hive there were around 50 workers clustered to the outside front face of the hive and more flying around.
I thought at first that they were going to leave the hive and swarm to somewhere else but when i looked more closely i noticed that most of the bees were facing backwards and were actively fanning their wings. Also the flying bees were not as they first appeared, flying around the same area but actually many bees coming and going from the hive.
I think they are finally settling into their new hive even if it is a few frames short.
I can see that if i was to do things again, already there are many things i would do differently. It's funny how quickly you learn when you do things with your own hands. No matter how much you have read or seen in videos hands on is by far the way to go.
So having said that, now i want to place the remaining 4 frames into the 8 frame hive. When would be a good time to do this? should i wait a couple of days? First thing in the morning? I am thinking the longer i leave it the more chance there is that they are drawing comb from the lid or elsewhere where i don't want it.
When i looked under the lid today the bees were hanging from a cluster under the lid. Should i give the lid a good knock before taking it off to dislodge them?
I have worked out my jacket issues and feel i am much less at risk of stings then my first attempts, so smoker at the ready i am ready to go, I think i just need a few pointers.
Joe.
Joe,
Welcome to the madness. Now you need to open your hive and put the other frames in there or you will end up with a mess of comb. Just lightly smoke the entrance, lift the lid a bit and a few puffs and close the lid. Let them get a good breath of the smoke then take the lid off. Put the frames in and gently brush any bee on the lidd into the hive or bump them off BUT do it in a clear place, you don't want to lose the queen.
Good luck
Rob.
Thanks for the quick reply Rob,
I raced out and fired up the smoker. i gave the lid a thump after giving a few pufs of smoke and heard the cluster fall to the floor of the hive. I then lifted the lid and quite easily slipped in the frames. The bees were surprisingly tolerant of this. I got the lid back on and will now leave them to their own devices for a while.
What sort of time should i leave them to draw comb before i check for larvae, pollen etc? a couple of weeks?
Quote from: Jow4040 on October 06, 2014, 04:39:54 AM
Thanks for the quick reply Rob,
I raced out and fired up the smoker. i gave the lid a thump after giving a few puffs of smoke and heard the cluster fall to the floor of the hive. I then lifted the lid and quite easily slipped in the frames. The bees were surprisingly tolerant of this. I got the lid back on and will now leave them to their own devices for a while.
What sort of time should i leave them to draw comb before i check for larvae, pollen etc? a couple of weeks?
Jow,
Welcome to beekeeping.
A good interval for inspections is 10 days. You can do it at 7 day intervals but 10 is better. The main purpose of your inspections this year is for you to learn what they are doing. The less you disturb your bees, the better they will do.
Jim
Joe,
Jim is right. One of the real problems with new, and many experienced, beeks is that they keep digging in the hive for no real reason. Imagine if someone kept taking the roof off your house and rearranged the furniture. You would be really stressed and a bit savage. Same with the bees.
With my backyard hives I open them every couple of weeks for a quick check, and I mean quick. With these hives I find I spend a LOT of time watching the entrance and seeing the pollen going in and the clumsy, fully loaded nectar bees bumping their way in. Also, the general activity will tell you lots and their behaviour. If they are fairly tolerant of you standing there things are good, if not it could indicate a problem. The other indicator is the scent of the hive, it should be a sweet honey smell any sour smell would indicate a problem.
It may be worth moving that hive into a more open space with sun before they get too settled in. Its a LOT easier to work a hive in the open when you are not tripping over bits n pieces in the process.
Where are you located? Just a general area is OK but it make any advice more targeted.
Cheers
Rob.
Thanks for the advice guys, Ill give them 10 days or so before i go back in to poke about. I have very much enjoyed watching them today going in and out of the entrance so i can happily keep doing this to get more familiar with their behaviors.
I'm located in Melbourne but may be moving to the central victorian highlands in the next 6 months or so. Its very similar weather wise although it does get colder over winter.
Thanks again guys, i will keep this thread updated as i go and hopefully i can call on all your expertise.
Joe.
Don't wait 10 days to replace the missing frames. Do it immediately. In 10 days you will have comb, honey, and brood hanging from the inner lid.
Quote from: iddee on October 06, 2014, 08:24:38 AM
Don't wait 10 days to replace the missing frames. Do it immediately. In 10 days you will have comb, honey, and brood hanging from the inner lid.
Iddee,
See post #2.
:)
Jim
OOPS. Asleep at the wheel.......
Welcome Joe
Quote from: iddee on October 06, 2014, 03:18:52 PM
OOPS. Asleep at the wheel.......
Seeing the time of your post, I suspected you just did not have your coffee yet. :-D
Jim
I would warn you away, but I think it's too late for you now... catching a swarm is the most addictive thing you can do...
Hi Michael,
By coincidence, a couple of days ago, while procrastinating and researching bees at work, i ordered your book. I look forward to reading it and slowly transitioning to a foundation-less hive. We don't have Varroa here in Australia as yet but we also didn't used to have any Asian honey bees. They have slipped the customs net and not doubt varroa will as well at some stage in the future so getting a hive or two running strongly and prepared seems like good sense to me.
Catching the swarm was a lot of fun and i can see how one might get addicted to it. I still have my bait hive out so who knows, i might land another one once this spring weather warms up again.
Joe
Captains log,
Day 3: I arrived home from work today happy that daylight-savings now means that the bees are still working when i get home. I was able to observe the bees coming and going from the hive for a while between arriving home and dinner.
The hive had a really nice honey smell emanating from it and the bees were coming and going calmly and didn't mind me sitting within a meter of it.
I saw bees entering the hive doing two things. First some of the bees returning had bright yellow pollen on their leg baskets.
The other bees i saw returning had no pollen and were landing much more heavily or kid of crash landing onto/into the hive. sometimes they were hitting the front face of the hive and then falling to the ground below the hive stand. I have heard that sometimes bees do this when they have a heavy load of nectar on board and are not able to fly gracefully. Is this true?
So from observing these two behaviors today what can i assume is going on inside?
I am guessing that because the bees are out gathering pollen and possibly nectar that there is now comb drawn and or being drawn in the hive. I am guessing this is a reasonable assumption?
As the bees are foraging does this also mean that there is queen present as they have reverted to normal behavior after swarming?
Is there anything else i can tell from these observations?
Thanks for all the help so far, i am looking forward learning as i go with all your advice.
Joe
Sounding good. The honey smell is good, collecting pollen is supposed to indicate brood rearing, tolerant of your presence indicates a queen (settles them down) and the full nectar bees are just good entertainment.
Can you move the hive to an open, sunny position?
hi Rmcpb,
Sounds like the signs are looking good so far.
As far as location goes, do i want the hive to be in full sun, part sun, morning sun etc? what is the ideal location?
I try to set mine up on the south side of some trees so they get shade in the middle of the day and they don't get too hot. Don't be too worried about it though, sunny is good and you can put insulated, ventilated lids on them to keep the heat at bay. I use a Warre style quilt with a vent on my hives.
Sunny is good with some dappled shade for the hot parts a bonus.
Cheers
Rob.
Joe
Thanks so much for the adventure so far, I am hoping to start my first hives in the not to distant future and while I have done so much reading and researching I cant wait to get into the real deal! We have a club meeting this weekend and I can't wait to get there, I'm like a kid in a candy store !
I don't know if its the sadist in me but I had a good laugh at the overloaded bees missing the runway :evil:
Mike
I kind of have a soft spot for them too Mike. They come bumbling in, miss and crash. Often they lay on the ground for a few seconds and I am sure they are wondering who was moving the entrance all over the place.
you will be hooked soon too.
Rob.
>The other bees i saw returning had no pollen and were landing much more heavily or kid of crash landing onto/into the hive. sometimes they were hitting the front face of the hive and then falling to the ground below the hive stand. I have heard that sometimes bees do this when they have a heavy load of nectar on board and are not able to fly gracefully. Is this true?
Yes. Sometimes they crash because they are not used to it yet. They will get better.
>So from observing these two behaviors today what can i assume is going on inside?
Hmmm... maybe nothing you can assume.
>I am guessing that because the bees are out gathering pollen and possibly nectar that there is now comb drawn and or being drawn in the hive. I am guessing this is a reasonable assumption?
Probably because of the nectar.
>As the bees are foraging does this also mean that there is queen present as they have reverted to normal behavior after swarming?
Bees always forage.
>Is there anything else i can tell from these observations?
Not really. They will gather pollen with or without a queen and with or without brood. They will gather nectar if it's available.
Thanks for the reply Michael.
It looks like I will need to do an inspection in the next week or two to be sure that things are ticking along ok. Is that what you'd recommend?
Last night after work, I again watched what was going on on the landing board and I saw a drone taking off.
I was happy that I could differentiate the drone from the other workers so easily. They are pretty different once you really look at them though I guess. Hopefully I have a queen doing her thing inside the hive. I will have to wait and see.
Joe.
Its hard to sit on your hands isn't it Joe?
From what you have described all is going well So grab a beer and just watch the action for another week.
Cheers
Rob.
OMG! I'm going in there too much, OMG! I'm not going in there enough.
Enjoy it! It's one of those special rubies God hides from us sometimes. I don't know if it's addicting or an obsession.
Ah it's actually not been that hard to keep my hands off them. Full time work and a new borne help to occupy most of my waking (and sleeping) hours. That said I have been enjoying the 10 or 20 minutes a day I've been spending watching them to unwind after work. It is the weekend though now so I might get a bit more keen to have a look.
Ok, so I've been watching bees come and go which got me thinking of a couple of questions.
Firstly, I have read that a queen can lay up to 2000 eggs in a day. If the queen was laying this amount daily does this also mean that there would be around 2000 bees dying each day? The reason I ask is I have noticed 5-10 bees each day scattered dead around the area the hive is in. I am sure there is probably more lying around that I haven't found but I was just wondering if it is normal to find bees like this. Do bees normally die within a 10m zone of the hive or do they die inside the hive to be carried out? Or elsewhere?
Secondly i was thinking about honey flow. I know it is probably way too early to be thinking about honey but I had been reading about identifying nectar flows to decide when is best to rob the bees. My bees will be urban bees and will most probably forage from a wide range of species in people's gardens. There will be no one huge bloom of a single species as far as I know. Does this mean I will see a more consistent honey flow over the year? Do urban bees tend to produce more honey as they are exposed to flowers over a longer period? Does this mean that I will have to be less careful about when I rob the bees (providing it's not too late in the season) as they will most likely have nectar sources to rebuild their supplies with?
I am planning to inspect the hive next weekend so I will try to get some photos to share then.
Joe.
Yes, yes, yes.
wait till you get the local fauna to help cleanup. possums, coons, skunks, lizards, snakes, toads all is cool they will help keep the nastyies down (illnesses)
Sounds perfectly normal Joe. The undertaker bees dump the dead ones outside and there can be a bit of a buildup but they take most away so no problem.
As for your flow. You are right, our urban hives have a flow all year with spikes in spring and autumn. The main derth is in summer where most things die off from the heat. As for robbing them, the beauty of backyard hives is its easy to grab a spare frame when you need it so I tend to rob them progressively and not all at once. Much easier to judge if the honey is spare and you only ever take a small proportion when you do rob them.
The friend who has my bait hive setup at his place just sent me this picture. Looks like scouts are interested. Hopefully in a few days the swarm will turn up.
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/16/fd0a2c78cbf5d79b335e672c7f9c1fb7.jpg)
Checked the hive today. It was looking good apart from where I had left a bit of a gap between frames and they have built some comb between frames. What should I do with this? Let's them raise more brood then once they are stronger replace the frames?
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/17/c5d0818e5ec5b03f84e8ea8dc6a2ac8e.jpg)
Oh and there was also a fair amount of condensation under the lid. Is this normal for spring time? I would have thought this was not a good sign. Is my hive too shaded?
Pull the double comb off!
As for the condensation I handle this with a Warre type quilt. Look it up, its worth the effort. Its great for condensation and I reckon it helped last summer in our heat wave when meltdowns were common but my hives with quilts were OK. Like having insulation on your roof.
Cheers
Rob.
>Firstly, I have read that a queen can lay up to 2000 eggs in a day. If the queen was laying this amount daily does this also mean that there would be around 2000 bees dying each day?
Depending on the time of year and what she is laying (which also depends on the time of year)... yes.
> The reason I ask is I have noticed 5-10 bees each day scattered dead around the area the hive is in. I am sure there is probably more lying around that I haven't found but I was just wondering if it is normal to find bees like this. Do bees normally die within a 10m zone of the hive or do they die inside the hive to be carried out? Or elsewhere?
I would say some leave and don't make it back. Some fly out and die. Some die in the hive and are carried out...
>Secondly i was thinking about honey flow. I know it is probably way too early to be thinking about honey but I had been reading about identifying nectar flows to decide when is best to rob the bees. My bees will be urban bees and will most probably forage from a wide range of species in people's gardens. There will be no one huge bloom of a single species as far as I know. Does this mean I will see a more consistent honey flow over the year? Do urban bees tend to produce more honey as they are exposed to flowers over a longer period?
Probably, but it depends on what the non-urban bees have available...
> Does this mean that I will have to be less careful about when I rob the bees (providing it's not too late in the season) as they will most likely have nectar sources to rebuild their supplies with?
You always have to allow that at the end of the season things dry up quickly...
Thanks for the replies guys. That all makes a lot of sense.
I opened the hive again and removed the secondary comb and then put the frames back at the correct spacing. There was a lot of capped brood an I could see many eggs and larvae. I'm guessing the population will start to ramp up once the brood starts to hatch.
I'm feeling a lot more confident on identifying drones from workers although the queen is still a hard find at times. Attached is a picture with what I am pretty sure is my queen (top left of the frame). Any idea on what species I have?
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/20/dd95b82aa89062c7b44e8db991f3e144.jpg)
A lot of pollen going into the hive and a very strong honey smell can be noticed from several meters away. I was able I try the first honey, or at least strong nectar that was stored in the wonky comb I removed. It was very good. I think I am thoroughly hooked on this beekeeping caper.
The swarm trap at my friends house is still getting a lot of interest from scout bees and 10-20 can be seen around the entrance at any one time but the swarm still hasn't arrived from my friends observations. Any idea how long after strong scout activity you could expect a swarm? It's going to be close to 30 degrees C today with no wind so it might be good swarm weather.
Thanks for all your help so far.
Joe.
You're right about the queen top left. It's my understand that one frame of brood will make 3 frames of bees. It's up to the bees to decide how long before they move in. I'm not sure there's an exact answer for that one. Some very good advice was given me at our Bud event, by none other than Bud himself. He told me I need to grow out of the gloves. Reason, you squash a lot of bees using the gloves and that really ticks them off. I have found that to be very true. My hands seem to be smoked up enough from lighting the smoker so that takes care of the scent. The other thing is to move slow and methodical. However, sometimes if they are in a nasty mood you'll have to put them back on.
Quote from: GSF on October 20, 2014, 09:50:40 PM
You're right about the queen top left. It's my understand that one frame of brood will make 3 frames of bees. It's up to the bees to decide how long before they move in. I'm not sure there's an exact answer for that one. Some very good advice was given me at our Bud event, by none other than Bud himself. He told me I need to grow out of the gloves. Reason, you squash a lot of bees using the gloves and that really ticks them off. I have found that to be very true. My hands seem to be smoked up enough from lighting the smoker so that takes care of the scent. The other thing is to move slow and methodical. However, sometimes if they are in a nasty mood you'll have to put them back on.
Thanks for the advice GSF, I was actually using one hand un-gloved to work my phone for the pictures and occasionally use the same un-gloved hand to hold a frame and that felt comfortable enough. I did get stung once though but only on the gloved hand. Your probably right in that i could feel when i was crushing a bee. I will give bare hands a go next inspection.
Joe.
Ok my next question.
I just got a call from my friend who has the bait hive and he said that the hive has gone from a lot of scout activity yesterday to none this morning.
Do you think this means that they have decided against using the hive or could there still be a chance of getting a swarm?
Weather is nice and hot and still today so i imagine it would be good swarming conditions.
Joe.
Joe,
There are no rules with bees. Just keep an eye on it to see what happens, you never know your luck.
Cheers
Rob.
Hi Joe, just PM'd you about a swarm. Cheers Andrew
Thanks Andrew, I just replied, Pretty sure it went through.
Joe
Well, I thought the trap was done and dusted, that is until until my friend sent me this pic today. Looks like I caught a swarm.
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/25/b066c900bad464ef21904155b2d4c294.jpg)
I also added a super to my first hive as they had already filled the first box. It's a fun time to be learning to keep bees!
Congrads!
Ok. I picked up the swarm trap that had caught a swarm. It had foundationless frames in it and I was happy to see the bees had began to build comb neatly following the guides. They had built 3-4 frames of comb already. Although they had only half filled the frames. It's a bit cold today so I am going to check for eggs or brood tomorrow.
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/31/4103c9bd0edadb228fd1c9e19a7261ae.jpg)
I found these two bees dead outside the trap. My question is are these bees both from the hive? One is much blacker and doesn't have the yellow band of the other. I was wondering if they are the same species or perhaps a dead robber and a bee from my hive?
Thoughts?
She mates with many drones
have you looked at your drones? they come in all shapes sizes and colors
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/01/13f147e310b8743b6723c2c6ab1cefba.jpg)
I opened the swarm trap again today to have a better look in the warmer weather and noticed eggs in most cells. The bees are building really well on the foundation guides and its nice to see them building to their own dimensions and needs. I am sure that at this rate, in a couple of weeks when I next check on them they will have filled out most of the box .
Quote from: Jow4040 on November 01, 2014, 03:38:26 AM
I found these two bees dead outside the trap. My question is are these bees both from the hive? One is much blacker and doesn't have the yellow band of the other. I was wondering if they are the same species or perhaps a dead robber and a bee from my hive?
Thoughts?
Jow,
They are from one queen. Like Jay said "she mates with many drones". That is a good thing. Having good diverse genetics is what will save our bees. A well bred queen will mate with 20 males and sometimes as many as 60 males.
Jim
Thanks guys. I was trying to work out what genetics my bees had but then some look Italian and some like black bees. Sounds like it's probably a mix.
How do commercial queen breeders ensure their lines stay breed pure?
100 hives nice queens
Quote from: Jow4040 on November 02, 2014, 05:26:52 PM
How do commercial queen breeders ensure their lines stay breed pure?
The ones I know move their hives into the middle of nowhere so no other bees around then flood the area with their chosen drones. job done.
Its not foolproof but fairly reliable.
Ah that makes sense.
Looks like your doing well!!! I like my foundation-less frames "most" of the time :P
I did notice at the beginning of the thread that you were advised to heck on your bees every ten days.. And, I wanted to give you some food for thought.
In the spring time, it takes the bees nine days to cap a queen cell.. OFTEN, when that cell is capped, the old queen will Swarm with half or a little more of your bees... If you check your hive every ten days.... see where I am going with this?
In mid July of this year, I switched from weekly inspections to every two weeks. I was ecstatic with my results of having NO SWARMS from my hives this year.. I had done good!!! On the day of my first two week inspection, I was starting my run through, and heard the tell tale ROAR from behind me ... I turned to see them boiling from the hive... "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" I ran to get my Camera... The swarm issued at 14 days, but could as easily have issued at 9 days..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S4n2Xk21xk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S4n2Xk21xk)
I agree that some people open the hives way too often, but by the same token, if there is a "reason" to open the hive it should be done. Always have a reason, a purpose when you go in.. if you do not have a reason, then dont take the lid off. After some time, looking in every 7 days loses some of its appeal, and checking every ten days to two weeks seems a lot better, but it can lose you bees and a good honey crop.. JUST... one old guys opinion.
Keep up the good work! Looking forward to reading the rest of the story!
Well the next chapter is that 'Awootton' kindly invited me to join him for my first cutout at a house not too far from home. Although sticky, I had a great time and learnt a lot while getting a good amount of time becoming more comfortable around the bees. I also managed to get some good 'no glove' time which after the initial nervousness felt really natural.
Unfortunately the comb was all so fresh that it was a little delicate and difficult to get into the frames. In the end i got 2 frames of brood and a heap of bees. We left the hive there to catch the stragglers which i will pick up after work tonight.
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/04/aeb8391f318d37ed7eb8e1d1f9d808eb.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/04/d4680c7864b7c585d9007f05e15acf05.jpg)
It was nice to meet someone else interested in bees with much more experience than me that i could bounce questions off and as a result i came away with new ideas and more confidence.
This makes colony number 3 for me and i don't really want (or have the space for) any more. That said i think i have the cutout / swarm catching bug. Perhaps i can cut them out and donate the bees to friends? I'll find a way.
Joe
Oh and thanks for the tips Oldmech, I imagine that as all my colonies are still building up that they wont be a swarm risk this season but i will keep a close eye on them all the same. I am kind of keen to find my first swarm cells so i can try a split to raise a new queen.
Joe.
Checking on the constantly does not prevent them from swarming...
I agree, checking will NOT prevent swarming.. But, the actions taken before they decide to swarm, and after they begin making preparations can help reduce the amount of swarming...
Are upper entrances a common thing? We don't use them where we live.
Well the backyard where I caught the last swarm might pay off again. I left a Nuc behind when I took the swarm trap home and I just got word that there is a lot of scout activity. The Nuc was baited with lemongrass oil and the comb I removed from my first hive. Fingers crossed I catch another in the next week or so.
That's great Jow! It's a fun thing to catch swarms.
Gave two hives an inspection this arvo. Both seem to be doing well. The one from the cutout has filled the Nuc with comb in the foundationless frames with only a couple of corrections needing to be made. Mostly this was due to the cutout comb being a bit wonky to begin with I think.
I've also been frantically building a couple of new hives after work this week to house the Nuc bees and the swarm of bees I caught in the trap. Hopefully I'll get some time over the weekend to swap the frames across.
My first hive from has almost filled the second box which is good.
Interestingly though, the cutout hive is already producing heaps more propolis. The bees in the first hive don't really produce any at all in comparison.
I guess that's the beauty of catching swarms and getting cutout bees. You get a wide mix of genetics.
The swarm trap is still out. The activity has slowed a bit but it is still getting plenty of attention. Fingers crossed.
I am up to 3 hives now but think I wouldn't mind a 4th. Is this how beekeeping usually plays out? I'm not addicted. I swear I can stop anytime I want to......... I just don't want to yet.
Joe.
So i inspected one of my hives yesterday and the bees had filled the two brood boxes with comb and had begun to back-fill the boxes with honey. I quickly added a third box and placed a couple of empty foundation less frames in between the drawn combs in the bottom two boxes and moved the drawn comb they were replacing up into the new third box along with the other new frames. Hopefully this will avoid them swarming. i think i caught them early enough as there were no queen cells visible.
Which brings me to my next question. I am planning on crush and draining my honey so i was wondering if i could get away with just the one super on top of the two brood boxes? I was thinking that as the super fills up with honey and when i see a frame is capped, i could remove it and replace it with a new frame to keep enough storage space for the bees in the super. It would mean i might be crushing one or two frames at a time and might be doing this every two weeks perhaps? Does that make sense? is there any reason this is not a good idea/ any pro's or cons to doing this? Should i just plan on adding more supers instead?
Im not using queen excluders if that makes any difference.
Thanks
Joe
Another quick question. Checked a hive today and they have sealed all the ventilation mesh with propolis. The hive as a result had a fair amount of condensation on the underside of the lid. Is there anything I can do to keep them from sealing up the ventilation?
Let them worry about the ventillation. They spend quite a few resources setting the hive up for their conditions, don't be one of those beeks who think they know more than the bees. Our job is to give them the ability to set their own conditions and they will thrive.
I believe in insulated top covers in the winter to allow the top of the hive to warm up like a hollow tree would.
When I lived in Arkansas I lost 40 percent of the hives to moisture problems.
In Colorado I am experimenting with insulation methods and the top sweats above the insulation but not in the bee area.
Bigger vent holes maybe? Then you have to acknowledge they do everything for a reason. Some folks tilt their hive boxes so the moisture will run down the side instead of dripping on top of the bees.