not much of a year

Kathyp · August 10, 2011, 12:37:01 PM

4 swarm calls while i was out of town. no cut out calls. thought i had one last night, but she called back to tell me that her husband said they were yellowjackets, not honeybees.

hope i don't lose a bunch of hives over winter because i didn't even get to replace the ones i lost last year. weird year for us. hope when i pull the honey supers there's some honey in there!

it feels like fall already and we never had summer......

VolunteerK9 · August 10, 2011, 12:45:56 PM

Yeah, I only got 3 this year myself. Did several splits though.

BeeMaster2 · August 10, 2011, 12:51:24 PM

I took the time to make a bee vac this spring but only got one call for an old hive in a brick pillar. Ended up killing 3/4 of the bees due to sucking up the cement and brick dust, cutting into it. Ended up adding the survivors to a new hive. Next time I will keep a hose running to keep the dust down.
Jim

danno · August 10, 2011, 01:58:41 PM

so far so good for me this summer. Turned down a bunch of cutouts but trapped and shook about 15. Did 17 splits, hauling all to a new yard that seems to be really doing well. Ran out of drawn super comb so had to add a doz deep hive bodies to the really strong ones. Not looking forward to lifting them off. Goldenrod is just coming on so I have about 1 more week. Star thistle got watered abit weekly and came after the high temps had gone. State releast bugs to kill off the thistle last year. None in my area though. Hope its a big failure. Purple loosestrife had about vanished in the last couple of years but came back strong this year. Neighbor planted 150 acres of pumpkin squash that has been blooming for the last few weeks and is still going strong

VolunteerK9 · August 10, 2011, 02:39:21 PM

Quote from: danno on August 10, 2011, 01:58:41 PM
so far so good for me this summer. Turned down a bunch of cutouts but trapped and shook about 15. Did 17 splits, hauling all to a new yard that seems to be really doing well. Ran out of drawn super comb so had to add a doz deep hive bodies to the really strong ones. Not looking forward to lifting them off. Goldenrod is just coming on so I have about 1 more week. Star thistle got watered abit weekly and came after the high temps had gone. State releast bugs to kill off the thistle last year. None in my area though. Hope its a big failure. Purple loosestrife had about vanished in the last couple of years but came back strong this year. Neighbor planted 150 acres of pumpkin squash that has been blooming for the last few weeks and is still going strong

Cool! Nuc'em Danno :)

Shanevrr · August 10, 2011, 10:41:36 PM

sorry to hear kathy, hopfully better next year

Kathyp · August 11, 2011, 03:49:37 PM

just went to pull the honey super. 1 count 'em....one super of honey. all the others untouched. best hive is queenless. the one that i have had and used for requeening for years.

JP · August 11, 2011, 04:04:22 PM

Kathy, if you make it to Bud4 again and need some hives to boost what you have you know there are several of us that would gladly help you out.

...JP

Kathyp · August 11, 2011, 04:30:15 PM

most years i get more calls that i care to take. this year was just bad. flow looked good, but i guess didn't amount to much. hives have good stores below. guess that's a +

as much as i appreciate your offer....i have yet to find an airline that considers bees as pets :-)

JP if i had a reoccurring fantasy it would be to come work with some of you guys and learn some of your tricks. i hope there will be a bud4 and that we will be able to come.

JP · August 12, 2011, 10:23:31 AM

There will be a Bud4 as far as I know and many more after that I sure hope! Bud's place is just the most awesome place for bee/beek gatherings. :-D

...JP