No beekeeping beekeeping

[Jerrymac]

I did a cut out back in 2005. I didn't mess with them very much that year. Then 2006 came along and I might have peeked in the hive one time. Then 2007 I didn't mess with them any at all. Looking at the hives today this hive is the strongest one I have.

I had 10 hives going into fall and figured 3 maybe 4 would not make it to Spring. So far found one some how lost the queen. There were only a couple of dead bees on the inner cover, 5 or 6 with heads in cells, perhaps 6 on the bottom board, all dead. There was still honey at one time because there was signs of robbing. And crystallized honey all over the place. Lots of empty queen cells in the middle and at top of frames.

Another hive had a cup+ of live bees, no brood, and quite a bit of honey. Didn't see a queen. and like the other hive there were empty queen cells all over the place.  So I combined those bees with  the bees that moved into empty hive boxes late last Summer. So I am down to Eight.

Next I checked out the hive that was hot last year. This hive was a mix of deeps and mediums. I was trying to get the mediums out of there. But there was always brood scattered around every where. I even ended up with some medium frames in deeps. So my goal was to get some of the boxes off of there. I removed frames and shook off bees. And I left a bunch of stuff out for the bees to clean up. The next day I discovered that some how, one of the frames I shook the bees off of and left out to be robbed out had the queen on it. So I put her and the accompanying bees back into the hive. Today they don't seem to be doing as good as they were.

Another hive I got last year from a beek who was quiting I think was a swarm that moved into a deep box of frames that was sitting on a medium box with no frames. They had built comb from the bottoms of the frames into the lower box. I did not know this until I tried to take off the top box. Man were they mad at me. Good thing I had all the gear on, but one did find a thin spot in the leather of the gloves and got me in the hand. I reassembled the hive and decided to wait till spring to clean the mess up. Not so many bees and maybe all in the top box. I think I will check this hive out tomorrow because I haven't been seeing any activity lately. (tomorrow is suppose to be really windy)

But anyway the point is. All the hives I mess with appear to be weak/small. The hive I never mess with is going gang busters. And I'm sure they swarmed at least once last year. So perhaps I should just leave the darn things alone a couple of years and then mess with them. Have to wait awhile to mess with the others anyway. Seems we have very few days right now that the wind isn't blowing 20mph or more.

[Cindi]

Jerry, now that is an interesting story, it is strange that the colony that you haven't bothered too much is doing so well.  Curious. Have a great and wonderful day, more of these to come, Cindi

[Jerrymac]

So today there was still no activity at the one hive mentioned above. So I popped the top off of it and there were no bees. So I pried the top box off of the lower box and set it on the side to cut off the comb from the bottom of the frames. More comb had been built. Then I started trying to pull the frames out of the top box. Most of the comb was all messed up. Evidently the person I got it from didn't have the frames in there straight or shoved together. I believe this was a hive with no bees he had sitting out and a swarm moved in to it. There was quite a bit of honey in the top box and a few ants were scavenging around. I saw two whole dead bees in the hive and some abdomens of bees in some of the cells.  :?
There were some.... very little... un-emerged brood.

[talkingamoeba]

Jerrymac, I realize I'm new at this and my experience is of very limited value but my first year I caught 3 swarms and was in the boxes every week, they all died that winter. The next year I caught 3 more, messed with them alot, combined 2 of them and again none made it to April. Last year I caught 2, one left the same day. The other I had in one deep body, and due to a biopsy wound breaking open and getting mauled by a sow hog (it was a lovely summer), I did nothing with that hive. Never added another box, never went in their box. They swarmed in early Sept and I figured they would not make it through the winter here. Well, I was feeding them honey yesterday. Ormond Aebi wrote not to mess with the brood boxes unless there is a real need, and I'm thinking now that he probably knew what he was talking about.

[Brian D. Bray]

Jerrymac, I realize I'm new at this and my experience is of very limited value but my first year I caught 3 swarms and was in the boxes every week, they all died that winter. The next year I caught 3 more, messed with them alot, combined 2 of them and again none made it to April. Last year I caught 2, one left the same day. The other I had in one deep body, and due to a biopsy wound breaking open and getting mauled by a sow hog (it was a lovely summer), I did nothing with that hive. Never added another box, never went in their box. They swarmed in early Sept and I figured they would not make it through the winter here. Well, I was feeding them honey yesterday.

Leaving it alone was treating it like a feral hive.  With the exception of a few modern techniques that is the best ways to keep bees.  Those modern techniques are top entrances (mimic nature), bottomless hives (SSR = Screened Slatted Rack), foundationless frames, and uniform hive body--mediums all around. for me.  If you look at it, everything but the SSR and uniformed size of boxes is pretty much going back to nature.

Ormond Aebi wrote not to mess with the brood boxes unless there is a real need, and I'm thinking now that he probably knew what he was talking about.

Keep the brood box as feral as possible, which results in better healthier bees and you still get a harvest.  The ONLY manipulations that should be done in the brood boxes is putting empty frames on each side of the brood chamber to keep it open and prevent swarming.  Bees busy enlarging the brood area usually don't swarm.

[asciibaron]

In my experiences with other endeavors, a laissez-faire attitude has meant more work down the road.  the flower garden in the front yard is a prime example of how not to garden, the lawn is a shining example of how not to have a fully, greener lawn, and the mounds of dead leaves killing what's left of the grass are telling me i should have racked them up in Novemeber  :-D

I know the bees know what to do, but I think it might be better if I give them a bit of a hand...

-Steve

[Cindi]

Steve, eeks!!!  Go and clean up that yard, hee, hee!!!  Have a wonderful and awesome life.  Cindi

[asciibaron]

Steve, eeks!!!  Go and clean up that yard, hee, hee!!!  Have a wonderful and awesome life.  Cindi

the problem was the timing of the birth of our 2nd son - right about the time i should have been taking care of the yard i was tending to the needs of a screaming baby.  it has nothing to do my laziness, honest.  8-)

-Steve

[Cindi]

Steve, oh babies are very time consuming during the first few years of their lives, beautiful that you have two children, lovely.  Have a beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi