about spring....

Mici · March 20, 2007, 01:21:34 PM

ok, i've been planing on posting a few pics for a while but now..is the time!

about the spring, this puicture was taken, about 14 days ago:

pretty nice spring huh?, bees are looking like they're about to swarm, oh abejaruco, when i commented your picture about "en tropel" it was because it's not common around here for bees to fly so much in february, usually first "fly days" are in february

yesterday evenin....

today..

rough times for bees, picked at least 200 of them, now they're recouperating in my room, maybe i'll let the drone in their box, so they'll have a little..party, hehe

and this is my "totem" the mason bee house

ok...i could go on with this pictures but..what's enough is enough, hope you enjoyed!

abejaruco · March 20, 2007, 03:22:31 PM

Nice pictures. The snow...the chimeney...the vodka... :)
By the way, Northern Spain is frozen too, the cold that is crossing Europe comes from Finskyland.
Finsky, can you close the fridge, please?

reinbeau · March 21, 2007, 05:24:56 PM

Your hives are beautiful, Mici, and I love the fact that they're roofed like that. How do you work them under there, however? Do they slide out or does the roof lift up?

Mici · March 21, 2007, 05:53:38 PM

oh, that roof is hidious! just a temporary thing ( i sure do hope it is temporary :))
how do i manage my hives? hehe a never ending story, glad you asked. they aren't LR-i think you noticed it, they're AÅ½ hives and they open at the back, downside is you only get to have 1 brood chamber and 1 "super" but you can stack a whole lot of them in one place, and this is how you mend them

abejaruco, i don't like vodka, had a couple khm, unpleasent experience with it, there's nothing better than drinking a hot cup of cooked wine after some hard showeling, little cinnamon a few cloves. ummmmm i wish we had more snow and cold weather :-D

Kathyp · March 21, 2007, 08:09:05 PM

that's pretty cool. do the frames get stuck in there very often? sometimes i really have to pry on mine. it look like access to your frames is easier than getting them out from the top?

reinbeau · March 21, 2007, 09:49:59 PM

Quote from: Mici on March 21, 2007, 05:53:38 PM
oh, that roof is hidious! just a temporary thing ( i sure do hope it is temporary :))
how do i manage my hives? hehe a never ending story, glad you asked. they aren't LR-i think you noticed it, they're AÅ½ hives and they open at the back, downside is you only get to have 1 brood chamber and 1 "super" but you can stack a whole lot of them in one place, and this is how you mend them

That's awesome, Mici, thank you for showing that! Interesting. Yet I don't think that roof is hideous at all, I find it very functional - to each his own! :) My husband likes the multicolored hives, too. I'm very interested in how you manage your hives - how do you keep thinks accessible, maintain your ability to slide those frames in and out - I would think the bees would glue everything tight together like they do in our standard supers? :?

Cindi · March 22, 2007, 12:42:10 AM

Mici, my comment would be Wow, job well done. Don't understand how you can work the hives, but you have your good ways, I am sure. Best to ya. Cindi

Mici · March 22, 2007, 01:49:37 PM

oh yeah, things do get propolised, a lot! but the frames usually don't get to stuck. the opening at the back is the most problematic but it all goes well with a knife, you know how it goes, stick it in and twist it a bit. putting the last cover back...hehe it goes off but back on...sometimes just wouldn't go :) have to scrape the propolis off but the frames are still pretty easy to slide in and out since they stand only on 3 points and are held by leads in front and rear-again "pointy leads", these leads also keep the right spacing.

how do i beekeep in them? the same as people around here have been for round 100 hundred years-the hive was presented to general public 100 years ago in the 1907. this hives are kind of a local thing a tradition if you will.

colours, hehe took me a fourthnight to mend all the hives-clean them out, disinfect them and colour them, but i did it so it really is a joy just looking at them, that's why i think the roof is hidious, it spoils the "bigger picture", but never did i say it doesn't do it's job ;)

when i'm gonny build a bee-house it will definitly look like this, the most beautiful beehouse i have ever seen!

Cindi · March 23, 2007, 10:07:39 AM

Mici, very interesting concepts. Good for you. Best of a day that's good. Cindi

reinbeau · March 24, 2007, 07:28:03 PM

Mici, that is truly a lovely bee house! I hope you have yours sooner than you think :)

KONASDAD · April 04, 2007, 04:52:06 PM

I know it was asked before, But how does your stand hold the weight of five hives? they must weigh in excess of 450lbs.

Mici · April 04, 2007, 06:49:48 PM

Quote from: KONASDAD on April 04, 2007, 04:52:06 PM
I know it was asked before, But how does your stand hold the weight of five hives? they must weigh in excess of 450lbs.

hihi, it holds alright, although they don't weight that much, but pretty sun will :-D
time will tell :evil:

i'll just put a few more rods under it, remember, this is temporary, so don't think i'm a slack