If you have the time.....

BjornBee · July 02, 2011, 07:19:58 AM

On the link below, is a five part series on a situation that myself, along with members of the Pennsylvania Backyard Beekeepers Association, went out last weekend to deal with. It is an open colony that built under a hive.

http://www.pennapic.org/photosvideos.html

Hope you enjoy!

Larry Bees · July 02, 2011, 08:49:31 AM

Very interesting!

I think most beeks would say that doing a cutout would have been easier to do, but I'm excited to see if this works! How long till we know?

Where do you get those tight fitting gloves? I have been using those bulky ones from Dadant.

Larry

TwoHoneys · July 02, 2011, 08:56:23 AM

I've gotta learn to think out of the box (an unintended pun!) like this, Bjornbee. I wouldn't have seen an alternative to cutting the comb and moving it into frames.

On another note: I notice your hives share a field with the corn. I've got three hives at the edge of a cornfield, and I think the guy who farms it uses pesticides if necessary (I didn't know he planned to plant corn or use pesticides when I placed the hives there). Are you also faced with pesticides at this location? If so, what do you do to protect your bees?

-Liz

Intheswamp · July 02, 2011, 10:16:58 AM

Fantastic BjornBee!!! It's amazing how calm the girls remained during the remodeling job!! Keep us posted on their movement.

Thanks for posting,
Ed

buzzbee · July 02, 2011, 12:08:17 PM

Good video Mike..
One thing you may have done to bring the bees up would have been to bring a frame of mixed brood. Thety would move in fast to cover the brood,and the smell from another queen would likely have enticed the queen to the upper box. Just my 2 cents.

Jim134 · July 02, 2011, 12:29:00 PM

Quote from: buzzbee on July 02, 2011, 12:08:17 PM
Good video Mike..
One thing you may have done to bring the bees up would have been to bring a frame of mixed brood. Thety would move in fast to cover the brood,and the smell from another queen would likely have enticed the queen to the upper box. Just my 2 cents.

You bet Ken in about 10 to 15 minutes the queen will come up it works about 90% of the time
Just my $0.02

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Intheswamp · July 02, 2011, 12:37:05 PM

Man, this site is priceless!!! Great information for even a newbie!!!

BjornBee · July 02, 2011, 11:42:52 PM

Quote from: Larry Bees on July 02, 2011, 08:49:31 AM
Very interesting!

I think most beeks would say that doing a cutout would have been easier to do, but I'm excited to see if this works! How long till we know?

Where do you get those tight fitting gloves? I have been using those bulky ones from Dadant.

Larry

Thank you Larry.

The gloves are latex surgical gloves (lightly powdered). I get them on Ebay usually. They stop most of the random stings, but not the stings as a result of squishing bees with your fingers. ;)

BjornBee · July 02, 2011, 11:46:49 PM

Quote from: TwoHoneys on July 02, 2011, 08:56:23 AM
I've gotta learn to think out of the box (an unintended pun!) like this, Bjornbee. I wouldn't have seen an alternative to cutting the comb and moving it into frames.

On another note: I notice your hives share a field with the corn. I've got three hives at the edge of a cornfield, and I think the guy who farms it uses pesticides if necessary (I didn't know he planned to plant corn or use pesticides when I placed the hives there). Are you also faced with pesticides at this location? If so, what do you do to protect your bees?

-Liz

The yard is on a farm owned by a local veternarian who is a deer hunting fanatic. Most of the corn is planted for deer feed. While it does present some danger by the treated corn, this is also a place with no additional spraying. etc. It is very hard to get away from the sprays and chemicals in my area. No till spray and chemicals are about everywhere.

joebrown · July 03, 2011, 01:42:13 AM

Do you use screened bottom boards? I notice this one does not have a screen. Wonder if they would have built that hive there if the bottom was screened?

Jim134 · July 03, 2011, 08:20:50 AM

Quote from: Larry Bees on July 02, 2011, 08:49:31 AM
Where do you get those tight fitting gloves? I have been using those bulky ones from Dadant.

Larry

You can get latex,vinyl and nitrile gloves by 100 @ about $5.00 or so at most auto parts stores.I like the nitrile gloves just my $0.02

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Larry Bees · July 03, 2011, 09:36:20 AM

Thanks Bjorn and Jim 134 on the glove information. I'm still not comfortable to work my bees without gloves. Larry

BjornBee · July 03, 2011, 10:40:46 PM

Quote from: joebrown on July 03, 2011, 01:42:13 AM
Do you use screened bottom boards? I notice this one does not have a screen. Wonder if they would have built that hive there if the bottom was screened?

I probably have half of my hives on SBB.

I actually have had this happen a few times before, always with SBB, as the queen enters under the bottom board and goes up against the screen then stays there. Then more bees collect around her until the just start comb. This is actually the first time I had it happen without it being a SBB. I think in the past, it was queens returning from mating flight from active hives. And probably with a solid bottom, the queen can not sense the colony and walks back out. With a screened bottom, they get stuck up against the screen.

But with this hive, it was a swarm, and the bees no doubt went to where the queen was, and they had no commitment to the hive.

bee-nuts · July 04, 2011, 03:50:06 AM

They will move up, thats for sure. Hopefully not to just store honey, LOL. Only thing I cant think of that might have helped would be to have taken a frame of brood from another colony and shake the bees off and stick that right above the hole drawing nurse bees and the queen who would smell brood that was different. Excellent work, hopefully that never happens to me.