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They outgrew their space and/or the old queen is failing. It is just their way of propagating their species.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
I will have to learn how and split my hives that made it though the winter or they will split themselves. [Not to hard to do.]
Tim
Yes, I was just thinking I should have shown that and you save me the work.Quote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
The wax that I gathered while cleaning bridge comb etc. last weekend. Not much and it is the first filtering so it still has a fair amount of impurities in it. I will save a bunch of these before I final process it.
At this stage it would work fine for lubing a drawer slide but I wouldn't want to use it for a salve...
Attachment 261713
,,,,,,,,,,,,or burnishing the edges of leather. :shrug:
i installed the 4 new hives of bees today with a friend.
As we were driving home he mentioned that he should have taken a couple of pictures/videos with his phone...:shrug:
It happened!:rofl2:
STOP IT!!! YOU'RE STARTING TO SOUND LIKE ME!!:hmmm::rofl2:Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
:dropjaw:,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:roflmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
I noticed the first 'bee' out on the strawberry plants today. I'm sure that they've been active but I just hadn't noticed as it's been fairly 'warm' at least not cold!
As I've posted before they don't look like any kind of bee that I've seen before but after some research I think I've identified them. Let me know your thoughts.
Pics from today/damn little things don't hold still very long! :banghead:
Attachment 262067 Attachment 262068
Here's one I snagged online:
Attachment 262069
I'm 'pretty sure' that they are Carpenter Bees. From what I've read they 'can' be destructive as they burrow into wood to live. I've checked the outside of the Boars Nest and I don't see any damage. However there are lots of old rail road ties used around here so maybe that's where they are living.
An interesting page to me and maybe you.
Eastern Washington bees
Thanks! :bow:Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
Funny they don't mention a Very Important Bee that's just a few miles from here.
We raise a lot of Alfalfa in these parts and these bees are nearly critical to the crops.
https://honeybeesuite.com/alkali-bee...a-specialists/
However they are struggling. Here's how Washington State University is trying to help:
WSU using mesh barrier to help protect alkali bees near Touchet, Lowden | Tri-City Herald
In this link they say that the fences do no good because the bees "jump" the fence and return right to ground level.
https://honeybeesuite.com/alkali-bee...th-by-highway/
If I had bees in my backyard I would have to build a 6 foot privacy fence between myself and the neighbors to get the bees to fly higher through their yard.
Believe it or not I understand that one of the options for the new road is to dig down instead of having it at ground level. :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
On the back roads around the area there are speed limits of 10 miles per hour to help keep the death rate down.
One thread I read states that the farmers/beekeepers maintain these alkali fields and it takes a few years and development and then work to maintain them.
With that thought in mind it might be more economical for the state to subsidize new alkali fields on the other side of the highway rather than the fence idea.:shrug::hmmm:
Since my wife is doing more and more cut-outs (safe removal of unwanted honey bees), I decided to make her a Bee Vacuum. She is the President of the local bee keepers club and very good friends with our state inspector. And since most pest control companies refer Bee 'Problems" to local bee keepers, she get calls often. To make her life easier (aka happy wife = happy life), I decided to make her this.
The day after I built it, she done a cut-out in a historic mansion in Altamont, Illinois, which had 4 separate hives and yielded six 1/2 full 5 gallon buckets worth of bees!!! She said it worked like a charm (I'll take her word for it! I like the honey...NOT the stingy little bastards!)
https://youtu.be/AHdc9Ghq6a0
I just watched and I gave it a 'Like'. Very well thought out. :tuQuote:
Originally Posted by AcesandEights
There are bees living in a hole in a neighbor's tree. I've never seen so many in my yard before. This weekend they are all over the honeysuckle.
Attachment 263295
Worked with my bees this weekend. I had my little helper to keep it shaving related....
I lit my smoker with coals from the campfire and then needed other things in my truck to bring to the bees.
I didn't want to carry it lit in the cab and it would have tipped over in the box. Here was my solution.
The hook is made for hanging it on the side of a hive. Works for windows also!:shrug:
Attachment 263297
a Random pic of my bee yard.
Attachment 263298
This hive is a new box and a little slower so we left the small hole yet to let them defend the hive better.
Attachment 263299
This hive is doing well so the whole bottom is open.
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These are the box's that the queen bees came in.
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There are plenty of bees in this hive. It is the front after I opened the hive to check them. The inside is just as thick with bees. This is one of the overwintered hives that I think that I will have to split or they will split themselves.
Attachment 263302
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:roflmao
^^^^^^^ like John says
Did not see that coming.
What benefit is there to painting the inside of a hive???
There is no benefit. Most don't, for a couple reasons. 1.) The inside is not exposed to the elements. So the 'need' to protect the wood is not there. 2.) Most don't want the possibility of contamination of the honey.Quote:
Originally Posted by Glock27
I don't agree with saying that the inside of a hive isn't exposed.:D They are pretty damp inside. No sun though. The bees cover everything in propolis etc so it is pretty much "painted" by them.
It is recommended to scorch the inside hives with a flame such as a weed burner if they are to be reused to kill all sorts of nasty things. Paint would not be good then.
I have found no positive reason to paint the inside of the hives.
My granddaughter and I checking out my bees on Sunday.
Attachment 263842
You have gone from a dream, to a full fledged Bee Master. :bow
A bee master no but I can show an 8 year old a thing or two.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
Her 2 year old sister was mad when her big sister was able to help me. I don't have a suit little enough for her. We watched the hives from 5 feet away going in and out but I made her back up when it came time to open them.
Agreed. Tim's honey is fantastic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
He gave me some still in the comb. I spread comb and all on bagels and chow down. It is so good.
Thank you, Tim!
My wife took off work yesterday to split a few hives. When I got home, she was ecstatic. She split 12 hives and said that 5 of them she split into 3. So, essentially, she ended up with a total of 29, rather than 24. She initially was going to split every month thru July. However, she don't have enough equipment....or space in the bee yard for that many.
I think that makes a current grand total of 53-ish...IF they all re-queen and survive.
sorry I couldn't try some of your honey Tim, maybe next time,,, make sure you have a jar for me when were at the same place my friend,,, my daughter had a good harvest last year so we got plenty ,, but always ready to try some other flavors,,, currently I just got a jar out here in Oklahoma and it really isnt that good ,, but I,ll try another place to see Tc
Added third super to the closest hive and they are drawing out comb. The supers below it are 100% full. The other hive has one super completely full and the other is about 50% full.
It has been a good year so far with the hives - both are strong.
Attachment 264511
Is there any reason not to put the empty one lower than the full ones?
They have to walk through the full ones to the top. Or remove the full ones now. :shrug:
Just wondering. Lots to learn.
Tim
Lots happening in my bee related world today!
I am now up to 7 hives as I have captured/attracted a swarm that probably came from one of my own two hives that swarmed.
I purchased 2 new Saskatraz queens to put into the hives that swarmed but I think I might have been to slow in killing the queen cells.:shrug:
If the hives have a virgin queen they will kill the new one that I try to introduce.
Continuing to learn!!!!!!
Can you open and inspect the new hives to look for the queen Before you introduce the purchased queen? Just wondering. :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
Very good question!Quote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
I am not very good at finding 1 queen in 50,000 bees or so......:o
In one hive I scraped off the closed queen cells but when I looked at them they had dead bees in them. The first queen that hatches kills the others and that is what I think may have happened.....
I was prety rough with the hives and may have killed the virgin queen..... There are no eggs or uncapped larva in the hives so I know that no one is laying at this time.
I put the purchased queens in the hives and if they kill them. What would I do with them otherwise? I hope that the most I will be out is the $32 per queen and my time. But I am not counting my time as,,,,,,, I have Lots To learn!
I was visiting a friend on my way to check my bees today and realized that I forgot a marshmallow to release the queens.
I thought that it doesn't hurt to ask.......
His wife tried hard to hide her laughter and gave me 3/4 of a bag. They are getting ready to move/downsize and I ended up with a truckload of stuff. Archery targets were the main goal but ended up with a turkey fryer and marshmallows to boot.
One queen was still in her cage and I removed the plug and replaced it with a marshmallow. The other queen was gone.....
I only had one extra super handy to add to one of my 4 packages but need to get in gear and get more ready for the other 3.
I find this bee keeping so very interesting. My younger brother started trying to raise bees just last year. I remember him telling me that when he got his bees that the Queen was in a separate package and that there was a Mini Marshmallow 'Plug' that she would eat through and then join the 'hive' as this allowed the 'hive' to accept her.
While he lives out in an area where wheat is king and very little flowers and such, his hive survived our hard winter so they must have to travel quite a ways to find the pollen to make enough honey to survive that winter.
With that said, about 2-3 weeks ago I rode my Harley up to visit him and his Horse Chestnut Tree and his Lilac Bush were both in bloom and were 'BUZZING' with activity/but I doubt that would be enough to provide them for the winter.
I have always liked flowers but since I have had the bees I have found that I am paying much more attention to when and where they bloom.:D
Wet paint!
Attachment 265653
Painted up 6 of the used supers and assembled 60 frames to fill them.
Gonna let the paint dry and install the foundation tomorrow.
As it's well known, I'm ignorant about bee keeping. However wouldn't it be better to let the paint dry longer so that the fumes would dissipate more? :shrug: Just wondering.Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
I only painted the outside and if you look close the frames and the inside are not. That is where the bees are.Quote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
The foundation is the wax pattern for the bees to form their comb on. Maybe not to a bee but the paint will be dry to the touch for me tomorrow so I won't transfer it at least in human senses. Actually it is already.
I may not need these box's this weekend but I needed them ready in case I do.
