Rescued Hive Booming

Started by FatherMichael, March 24, 2021, 06:24:21 PM

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FatherMichael

March 24, 2021, 06:24:21 PM
The bees in my back yard, with which I struggled all last season, much due to my own mismanagement, is now fully recovered and going like gang busters.

But it raises an interesting question, which may be entirely philosophical.

There is hardly anything about this colony that is like the first one.

The original nuc of bees thrived and swarmed but those left behind did not make a new queen.  I scrambled to provide them with young larva and eggs from two other hives twice, but they did not make a queen.  I bought a queen from a guy in the bee club.  It did not take.

Finally, when they were down to nothing and were clearly disheartened, I ordered a queen from California and took some sage advise from the good people here to reduce the 8-frame hive to six -- because it was already getting cool.

It was $50 to fly a hygienic queen in here!

I began to see signs of recovery before winter set in.  They had accepted the queen and looked organized for the first time in half a year.

We had a terrible freeze here in Texas.  But Mary and I had put two wool blankets and a trash bag over the hive for insulation.  They made it!

As soon as we had a warm day we transferred the six frames to the top chamber of a six-frame insulated Bee Box nuc and gave them in a bottom nuc two frames of feed from way last summer when I was giving them syrup constantly to keep them alive.

Did I rescue a hive?

There is little now in common with the original colony.  It's in the same location and has eight frames of drawn comb.  There are no bees or even genetics from the original colony.

But the previous bees kept house and stored some food for these.  As I think about it: they were all bees, who each did their duty and left what they could for future generations of whomever came along.

41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.

43 And he took it, and did eat before them.

TheHoneyPump

#1
March 24, 2021, 08:49:01 PM
And so continues on the Circle of Life.

`Did I rescue a hive?`  - I would say no, you didn't.  But what you did do was use the failing hive resources to setup conditions for a new colony to take over.  Welcome to beekeeping.  That roller-coaster ride goes on from 0 to 3 times per year per hive.  ;)   We learn to roll with it.
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

FatherMichael

#2
March 25, 2021, 10:06:06 AM
Quote from: TheHoneyPump on March 24, 2021, 08:49:01 PM
And so continues on the Circle of Life.

`Did I rescue a hive?`  - I would say no, you didn't.  But what you did do was use the failing hive resources to setup conditions for a new colony to take over.  Welcome to beekeeping.  That roller-coaster ride goes on from 0 to 3 times per year per hive.  ;)   We learn to roll with it.

It seemed a lot easier years ago.  Stick 'em near a cotton field under some Mesquite trees and get some honey.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.

43 And he took it, and did eat before them.

TheHoneyPump

#3
March 25, 2021, 02:40:52 PM Last Edit: March 25, 2021, 02:51:34 PM by TheHoneyPump
Yup.  Before the mid `80s having bees was simple.  The golden age of beekeeping.  Keeping bees today is completely different and requires fairly intensive management practices ... if you want them to live for very long.  What changed back then?  Varroa Destructor. Our #1 enemy. Recommend to get studying that creature if you are not already well versed on it.

You are on the right track with that hive and in the right place here on BM.  Lots of folks more than willing to help figure things out.

The next challenge before you is to achieve `Bee-Keeper` status. That means keeping the bees in the boxes. There are Bee-Havers and then there are Bee-Keepers. Swarm season is fast approaching for most areas. This is the most intensive hive time of hive monitoring and hive management.  Keep an eye on what's going on in there.  A lot can happen in just 1 week.
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

FatherMichael

#4
March 25, 2021, 06:22:55 PM
Just got back from the farm.  I found one hive with a bunch of black smudges around the entrance and the bottom closure on the ground.  Some animal had caved in the bottom screen.  Not many bees at the entrance.

The other hive shows normal spring activity but I need to get back out there tomorrow and fix that raided hive.

Skunks?  Porcupines?  Badgers?

I guess a racoon is smart enough to remove a bottom cover?

Why not the other hive?
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.

43 And he took it, and did eat before them.

Ben Framed

#5
March 25, 2021, 06:56:26 PM
Quote from: FatherMichael on March 25, 2021, 06:22:55 PM
Just got back from the farm.  I found one hive with a bunch of black smudges around the entrance and the bottom closure on the ground.  Some animal had caved in the bottom screen.  Not many bees at the entrance.

The other hive shows normal spring activity but I need to get back out there tomorrow and fix that raided hive.

Skunks?  Porcupines?  Badgers?

I guess a racoon is smart enough to remove a bottom cover?

Why not the other hive?

I do not have Skunks, Porcupines. Or Badgers in my area but we have an abundance of raccoons in my area. I have seen raccoon by my hive but they have not bothered them, (so far).  I am curious as to what others may suspect to be the culprit.
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