Honey flow in Oregon? Different bees...

[OregonBee]

Hi All,

I have two questions: one regional, the other general.

First, I have begun keeping my hives in the coast range of central Oregon.  Last year I suffered from multiple swarming events and did not harvest any honey.  This year we had a very wet (and unproductive) June, followed by what I suspect is a good-to-average July.  To my surprise, however, the honey super was only 1/3 full by mid July.  When should I give up hope of a full super and proceed with harvest.

My second concern is a bit more general.  After having dealt with a great deal of swarming last year (and little success with catching and boxing swarms), I decided to place empty supers around the property in hopes of catching swarms.  To my delight, two of three boxes filled with swarms.  However, these were not swarms from my golden Italian hive.  Instead, the new arrivals are small, dark bees that must have come from another apiary or the surrounding wilderness.  These bees seem to be fine to work with, not too aggressive and seemingly productive.  My question is: should I keep them in the same spot as my golden Italians, or set up a seperate area for these "different bees"?  My concern is with compatibility, robbing, aggression, etc.

Any advice on these subjects would be much appreciated!

Cheers from Oregon!

[bassman1977]

I was planning on setting up hives around my area next spring in hopes to catch swarms.  I was wondering if you used any kind of pheremone lures or did you just set up boxes and hope for the best?  What size boxes did you use?

[Michael Bush]

There may yet be a fall flow.  Or not.  You can harvest whenever you like.   But they may make more.

As far as mixing breeds in one yard I have had no problems with it.  Do whatever is convenient for you.

[Finsky]

First buy new queen to every hive so you get rid of swarming. Swarming is natural way to to reproduce and a human has taken the feature away with selection.

Crossed bees are good to gather honey but now because of bees' origin you honey yield will fly to sky.

I had carniola bees 10 years. The were eager to swarm. My medium yield dropped 20%. I returned to italians and now during the period of 3 years and my medium honey yield has rised 80%  .

If you take daughters from swarmed hive you will be sure to get swarm next year.

I began 40 years ago with feral or multicrossed "native" bees. They  are like "freal" because in America or in Finland there are no native Apis mellifera.  The yield from those creatures were 20% that of  present yield.

[OregonBee]

I was planning on setting up hives around my area next spring in hopes to catch swarms.  I was wondering if you used any kind of pheremone lures or did you just set up boxes and hope for the best?  What size boxes did you use?

I just set out three deep brood boxes, with bottoms, lids and drawn comb.  Two of the three were soon occupied by swarms.  No lure or pheremones were used.

[bassman1977]

That's great!  Thanks.