I'm still a keeper of bees!!! A few questions...

JoelinGA · February 21, 2009, 07:39:32 PM

Well I went into this winter really worried about both my hives. On my last check before I closed them up saw an insane number of SHB (they came out of nowhere!). On top of that bees couldn't find enough food to stock up so I had feeders on them. One of the colonies took to the syrup but the other one didn't touch it at all.

Anyway, tried the best I could to give those girls a fighting chance. Things being the way they are with money these days, don't really have enough to spend getting started again I kinda thought that if they didn't make it I would put it off for a year or so till we were better off.

Today I went out to check on them and one hive was a complete loss. The other had quite a bit of activity with workers flying in and out. Took a chance on the dead one to open it up after listening for any sign. Thing was filled with ants. Didn't have a hive tool with me to pry the frames and check them out.

I'm thinking with the lessons I learned during the past year will be better off this one. So here goes to the questions!

1. My hives are under a large limb of an oak in one of my fields. I thought at first this would be perfect to give some shade to them in the spring / summer when it's really hot and then when the leaves fall off in the fall and winter they are more exposed to the sun. Didn't count on SHB though, so I'm wanting to move the location to where they are in more direct sunlight to try and deter some SHB. What would be the best way to move my live hive? Plus is there a problem with moving it a short distance? We're talking maybe 50 yards or less. My hives are made up of two deeps each. One thing I wanted to try if I had to start over was to go with mediums, but oh well. Gotta work with what I have for the time being :-D.

2. The hive that is dead and filled with ants, what's the best way to clean it up so I can try my luck with a new colony? (Assuming I can still order one, will be calling Rossman first thing Monday).

But like I said, learned a few lessons. Firstly with my ant traps, I've been thinking of a better way to do it as I was using old cans and such..but keeping them clear was quite a task with how big the legs for my stands were. Plus I had my hives on two separate stands, this time around I'm thinking of making one bigger one and having them closer.

Really REALLY want to get a better control on SHB this year. I thought I had it last year, I mean would have small counts of like 1 to 4 seen per hive. Until that last one when they seemed to be everywhere and I tried killing as many as I could.

ArmucheeBee · February 21, 2009, 07:57:27 PM

Joelin

I'm in Rome and have had 5 different species of ants attack the hive. I found an old plant hanger made from re-bar steel. Just 4 legs and 4 horizontal pieces. I put the legs in cans of water. That worked great, but this winter it has been so cold the water froze in the cans and busted the bottoms out. I'll put on a picture of my new setup. The re-bar legs are sitting in small holes in a piece of wood. i will then fill around those holes with axle grease, it has low odor and will not deter the bees. I'll send pics tomorrow. You might want to look at Dixie Bee Supply in Gainesville. Do a google search for Don's site. I'm going up on March 15th to get two packages. I like it because they are ready so early.

rast · February 21, 2009, 08:32:49 PM

It's a shame you lost the 1 hive. May have been a weak queen.
Where I'm at, fire ants always take over a deadout seems like. They don't seem to bother the comb however. I have put some wax moth larva filled comb in fire ant beds just for the sadistic pleasure. Seems as though the bees can control the ants in a good hive. I am going to experiment in about a month with something homemade that is suppose to help with the SHB and ants.
Getting them out in full sun does help the SHB it seems, not a cure, but helps (so does a fire ant bed under the hive).
I have been successful using Michael Bushes method of moving hives a short distance. I move them at night, screen them in using a V shaped piece of 1/8 hardware cloth in the entrance. Then put a leafy branch in front of the entrance so they have to fly through and around it when they leave the hive, if you watch them, they circle and reorient to the new location. I have the branch ready and pull the screen and lean it against the front of the hive and step back. They will fly and sting after dark, I have a macho neighbor's swollen ear and neck to prove it.

homer · February 21, 2009, 09:07:14 PM

Quote from: rast on February 21, 2009, 08:32:49 PM
It's a shame you lost the 1 hive. May have been a weak queen.
Where I'm at, fire ants always take over a deadout seems like. They don't seem to bother the comb however. I have put some wax moth larva filled comb in fire ant beds just for the sadistic pleasure. Seems as though the bees can control the ants in a good hive. I am going to experiment in about a month with something homemade that is suppose to help with the SHB and ants.
Getting them out in full sun does help the SHB it seems, not a cure, but helps (so does a fire ant bed under the hive).
I have been successful using Michael Bushes method of moving hives a short distance. I move them at night, screen them in using a V shaped piece of 1/8 hardware cloth in the entrance. Then put a leafy branch in front of the entrance so they have to fly through and around it when they leave the hive, if you watch them, they circle and reorient to the new location. I have the branch ready and pull the screen and lean it against the front of the hive and step back. They will fly and sting after dark, I have a macho neighbor's swollen ear and neck to prove it.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but what is the purpose of the branch in front of the hive?

contactme_11 · February 21, 2009, 09:24:23 PM

Quote from: homer on February 21, 2009, 09:07:14 PM
Maybe this is a dumb question, but what is the purpose of the branch in front of the hive?

It confuses the bees and causes them to reorient themselves.

1of6 · February 21, 2009, 09:27:23 PM

Quote from: contactme_11 on February 21, 2009, 09:24:23 PM
Quote from: homer on February 21, 2009, 09:07:14 PM
Maybe this is a dumb question, but what is the purpose of the branch in front of the hive?

It confuses the bees and causes them to reorient themselves.

thus causing them to return to the new location rather than back to the old location where there's no longer a hive...

ArmucheeBee · February 21, 2009, 09:44:10 PM

I did the branch method today. Kept the bees locked for 2 full days. Put a pine needle branch in front. A few hours later notice them flying around the old location. so i put an empty box at the old location and they filled it up. should have not used pine? I don't know didn't work well for me. maybe it's because i didn't move it that far???

TwT · February 22, 2009, 09:58:26 AM

Quote from: ArmucheeBee on February 21, 2009, 09:44:10 PM
I did the branch method today. Kept the bees locked for 2 full days. Put a pine needle branch in front. a few hours later notice them flying around the old location. so i put an empty box at the old location and they filled it up. should have not used pine? I don't know didn't work well for me. maybe it's because i didn't move it that far???

I have never had the branch thing work, I moved mine across the yard before a few times and have tried different things, where you messed up was putting the old box or anything in the old location, they would have flown there most of the day but when night fall comes around they head back to the hive in the new location, I found out I must move every thing from the old location including 4x4's and concrete blocks, leave nothing and then dont worry about it. when I move mine a short distances I also keep them closed for a day or two.

ArmucheeBee · February 22, 2009, 03:44:06 PM

I put a few pictures titled "Homemade solutions" on the Equipment page---about ants.

TwT

I was afraid the bees would not return to the new hive and I would lose them to the cold. So I put the box there to gather them up. I put them back in there box that night. I'll move everything this time.