Roosterscrow,
That's a bit more complicated than what many of us are hoping for (collecting a swarm while they're actively seeking a new home). It's nice they are in a cabinet and not a wall, but it's still more of a removal situation than a collection one. I would definitely try to collect...
how exactly DO you get the honey?
Here is a good link with some info about that:http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm
I've seen pictures of people taping two jars together at the top with one full of crushed comb and the other empty. They're separated by muslin or a couple layers of...
Love it! Someone should totally invent one of those. You could get your little hive all nice and situated, bring out the "swarm call" device and give it a quick toot. Then the queen would heed the call, gird up her workers and swarm on over. Could you get on that, please?
Oh, I'm on lists in different places to be called if someone spots a swarm. I've also contacted my local moms groups to let me know if any of them have any close encounters with a swarm. If they called about one I would consider it a "swarm call". I don't know if that's their official name...
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Very cool! I just drilled entrance holes in my top bar hive---7 of them, 3/8 of an inch, on top, on one end only--after much angst and indecision. Now I need to make a stand for it and bait it! I also cut a barrel in half today to make a barrel hive. I want to have a couple ready...
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Thanks for your response. I'm glad to hear you haven't had much trouble. I may wait to fence the hives until I see how things go. We have plenty of other bugs for guineas to eat and the hives will be set about 10 feet into the trees of a sassafras grove. I've heard guineas prefer...
My coop will also be in dappled shade. My thinking was the same as yours, Beekissed--that the darker color might help keep the hive a bit warmer in winter when the leaves are off the trees.
Fencing would not hurt the bees but you would need a full cage to keep the guineas out
Yes, I was...
I painted my hive dark green. I was reading a website of one beekeeper who said that he painted all of his hives with rejected paint from the hardware store, whatever colors they might have. So it didn't seem as though it matters much.
On another note, I was wondering if anyone reading this...
Hi all,
I'm hoping to start beekeeping this spring as well. I've built a top-bar hive from wood and after seeing those half barrel hives posted about in this thread, I'm thinking of making a couple of those, too! I'm hoping to catch a swarm and have myself on a couple of swarm lists. We'll...