Hive check with smoke, smoke, smoke...

Steel Tiger · July 26, 2014, 02:59:23 PM

I decided to give the Buckfast hive another medium. I used extra smoke around the hive before I got near it. A few puffs at the entrance and a few under the lid as I was removing the outer cover.The top medium is packed with capped honey. I might be stealing 1/2 of it next week. The second medium wasn't quite as heavy. I didn't pull any frames but I'm sure the queen is laying in it. I'll know for sure in a few days. I put the empty medium between the other mediums and closed them up. They were still a bit pissy, but not nearly as bad as they were last week.
I checked the Italian hive next. They weren't very happy to see me but they calmed down fast. I checked the top medium, I would say it was a little more than 1/2 full. That was good enough for me so I closed them up.
After I was done, I went ahead and mowed the field. No cloud of bees coming at me this time. It may have been the smoke or that they were in disarray from having the hive opened up. From now on, I'll be carrying smoke when I mow around the hives.

I'll be getting my new queens to replace the Buckfast queen in a few days. I'm still up in the air about giving the Buckfast 4 frames of brood and placing her in the woods. I figure a deep and two mediums should be enough space to get them through the winter, if they build it up as fast as they did the hive they're in now.
I think I'll do that just to see if they survive.

capt44 · July 26, 2014, 05:39:43 PM

I had Buckfast bees here about 4 years ago.
Those gals had 3 attitudes.
1. MEAN, 2. MEAN, 3 MEANER
I have now got them re-queened and they are calm now.
Got a lady down the road a few miles has got a hive of Buckfast and they're meaner'n who thought it.

Michael Bush · July 26, 2014, 08:13:05 PM

Smoke works...

OPAVP · July 26, 2014, 10:13:53 PM

Hi,you all;

I have Buckfasat from Ontario. Most of the time I can go in the hives in short sleeved shirts.
I don't have gloves!

Nice weather here now,good crops too.

Cor Van Pelt.
Alberta.

sterling · July 27, 2014, 10:43:24 AM

Steel, I don't believe I would waste brood to save that bad queen and put bad drones in the wild. There are to many good queens that can be used to replace her.

jayj200 · July 27, 2014, 04:10:33 PM

Amen

Steel Tiger · July 27, 2014, 05:13:56 PM

Quote from: sterling on July 27, 2014, 10:43:24 AM
Steel, I don't believe I would waste brood to save that bad queen and put bad drones in the wild. There are to many good queens that can be used to replace her.

She's not a bad queen. The workers she produce must be getting paid triple time. They're just a bit more aggressive than I want to deal with. I've seen videos of hot hives (OhioCountryboy on youtube) and compared to them, my hive is full of sleepy bees. I had a cloud of bees after me, he had just about the entire hive on him.
If I keep her, I'm hoping in a few generations, they lose the aggressiveness by mixing with local bees.