More rookie Q?s

[saltybluegrass]

Open up the entrance on the plastic hive as much as you can.
I would like to see you use the flow frames next year when the hive is fully established before the main flow.  Use the flow frames as the third box.

So stick a super under the flow and they will come down?

[saltybluegrass]

Thanks Jim and Al.

Any answer if I can take a split yet?

Also the SHB I?m using swifters but should I use the oil traps - I think the hives are healthy but see SHB randomly

[TheHoneyPump]

Thanks Jim and Al.

Any answer if I can take a split yet?

Also the SHB I?m using swifters but should I use the oil traps - I think the hives are healthy but see SHB randomly

imho. No.  It is probably best to just let the bees bee bees for the season.  Let them teach you. Observe the bees and the full cycle dynamics of the honey bee colony through the seasons.  Study, ask many many questions, gain experience.  Wait on getting into splits, nucs, etc until a time when you are more comfortable with hive management and can quickly assess what is going on in any hive you open.

[saltybluegrass]

My second to last dumb question-
How does one know a flow is on ?

When a flow is on hive gains weight which means honey is being stored instead of being consumed.

Hey Ri-Vera beach as most of the locals call it - can I come down this weekend and see your hives? Or you come up here and I?ll grill some chicken and Yuengling for us?

[saltybluegrass]

Thanks Jim and Al.

Any answer if I can take a split yet?

Also the SHB I?m using swifters but should I use the oil traps - I think the hives are healthy but see SHB randomly

imho. No.  It is probably best to just let the bees bee bees for the season.  Let them teach you. Observe the bees and the full cycle dynamics of the honey bee colony through the seasons.  Study, ask many many questions, gain experience.  Wait on getting into splits, nucs, etc until a time when you are more comfortable with hive management and can quickly assess what is going on in any hive you open.

It doesn?t matter if you?re male or female but I love you.
I have been so honest with you all that good information naturally comes my way .
I took a pop a lock style company into a full blown commercial locksmith store - I?m always out-thinking myself.
Thanks for knowing me honey pump.

Last questiom- Without any high priced machines, how can I get the most honey off my frames? I have a rake style de-capper and strainers. I?m a broke poor boy

[saltybluegrass]

Salty,
Being in south Florida, especially if you are in a heavy residential area, I would expect your flow to just keep on going especially if you are getting weekly rains. Sounds like your flow is still on because you still have nectar.
Go ahead and pull 2 capped frames and enjoy. I suspect you have a lot more honey coming in this year.
Commercial beeks up here only winter in one deep box. They do have to feed sometimes.
Jim Altmiller

Jim if I?m in such a honey hole with warm temps besides late Jan - early Feb , how do I notice if I need 2 brood boxes vs adding honey supers?

[ed/La.]

Borrow a hand crank extractor from someone at your bee club or buy one on the net for $125 or so.

[Ben Framed]

Thanks Jim and Al.

Any answer if I can take a split yet?

Also the SHB I?m using swifters but should I use the oil traps - I think the hives are healthy but see SHB randomly

Last spring I got my first hives, the hard way, from cut outs. I was very pleased to  have my first hives. I would randomly see a SHB and being these were my first hives, I was constantly checking  on them. I would go into the hives once a week. Which later, I was told was a mistake in SHB country. When the tops  are opened , the ?jailed SHB would make a run for it. ? so only seeing a ransom SHB, I wasn?t to concerned about them until on another inspection. I had maggots running everywhere! In one week this hive went from being a random SHB to taken over. Jim, Pause, and others directed me to screen bottom boards and oil pan traps. Best SHB advice  I have received, along with CD case traps or political sign traps. I was thinking the bees would ?handle the problem? nope.
Phillip

[BeeMaster2]

Ben,
I strongly recommend that beeks do not use the beetle traps with poison in them. They would bee great if the beetles only went in them and died. Problem is they go in and come out and spread the poison in your hive and your honey.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

Ben,
I strongly recommend that beeks do not use the beetle traps with poison in them. They would bee great if the beetles only went in them and died. Problem is they go in and come out and spread the poison in your hive and your honey.
Jim Altmiller

Yes you and paus recommended the oils traps. The other type traps were from other avenues. I should have clarified that . The oil traps alone are excellent making the use of the CD cases mute.
Phillip

[CoolBees]

Crush-and-strain works for honey harvest. Cheap too. I think Mr. Bush said he did [only] that for many years.

[Oldbeavo]

If you want a really easy way to get some honey, see if you can follow this
Get a 50 litre clear plastic storage container
Get some cake cooler racks
Take out you frames and with a bread knife warmed in hot water uncap your frames.
Put the cake cooler frames in the bottom of the container
Put the container in a warm spot, sun or inside,
Stand your uncapped frames upside down, vertical in the container. on their top bars.
Now just leave and the honey will just drain out into the container. Can leave for a few days or what ever it takes.
The honey drains because the cells now are slightly pointing down.
You may not get all the honey out but the rest can go back to the bees and they don't have to rebuild the wax and you have some honey.
Pour out of container, through strainer into your jars.

[Ben Framed]

If you want a really easy way to get some honey, see if you can follow this
Get a 50 litre clear plastic storage container
Get some cake cooler racks
Take out you frames and with a bread knife warmed in hot water uncap your frames.
Put the cake cooler frames in the bottom of the container
Put the container in a warm spot, sun or inside,
Stand your uncapped frames upside down, vertical in the container. on their top bars.
Now just leave and the honey will just drain out into the container. Can leave for a few days or what ever it takes.
The honey drains because the cells now are slightly pointing down.
You may not get all the honey out but the rest can go back to the bees and they don't have to rebuild the wax and you have some honey.
Pour out of container, through strainer into your jars.

I want to thank you for this post Oldbeavo, good information using good common sense.
Phillip

[CoolBees]

I want to thank you for this post Oldbeavo, good information using good common sense.
Phillip

+1. Good, solid, simple approach. Thanks for sharing.

[saltybluegrass]

Thanks Beavo

[saltybluegrass]

I took the flow frames off and WHAT A MESS!! Honey all over the bottoms of those frames  but nothing in the frames.
I scraped the honey off the bottoms of flow frames and off the top of the brood frames.  cut short my inspection due to so many bees outsid the hive
https://youtu.be/sH_eVrnCqAQ
Video is worthless after 26 sec by the way. Sorry

And installed standard deep.
https://youtu.be/4idgRo5MEpk

There?s a huge number outside the hive hanging on the fron and back - I popped the top open and left a space for them to enter there as well.
I was going to replace the bottom board but like I said , they were all coming out and I didn?t want to disrupt much further.
Praying they go back inside

[BeeMaster2]

They will go back inside. Just look at my picture to the left that was taken my first year of Beekeeping. They all went back in.
I could not tell but it sounded like you were puffing your smoker like crazy. I hope you were not putting that much smoke into the hive. If you were just trying to move them off the top edge without putting smoke in the hive, that is fine.
Jim Altmiller

[Oldbeavo]

As per Jim, they find their way back.
Just a little beekeeping hint, when you put a super on try and put it in place in one step.
In your video you put it on at 90 degrees and then slid it in place, if you have bees underneath or on top of frames you squish a lot of bees.
Not a criticism, just try to help.

[saltybluegrass]

My smoker wasn?t very Smokey so I was double puffing it!!
Beavo - the bees were so thick around the edge I placed the tops edges were they weren?t then kinda scooched it into place - I saw this somewhere as it slides the bees off instead of smashing -but duly noted

And as of this evening they have gone in -
Do you think the bees were out front of that cedar hive  in my previous video 1st page- because they weren?t working the flow frames?
The brood box was booming even though. I didn?t pull the frames- looking down in was full of bees
1-10 frames

[FloridaGardener]

If you use a bee glove, try gently herding them.  Lightly as you would pet the nose of a cat.

Patty-cake them from the edge into the brood box, then patty-cake them down into the frames.  They will scurry, and you will have a no-bee moment to put the next layer on.