🐝💗Our Backyard Beekeeping Journey!💗🐝

[drstratton]

Randy Oliver recommends taking a sample from a frame next to a frame of open brood. He says its a more accurate presentation of mites in the hive. It also decreases the chance of shaking out the queen. Thats the way I always take a sample and have had very good results when it comes to making treatment decisions. I like to see 4 or less mites in a wash.

Thank you so much. That makes sense.

I need to go and read through his information some more. I've read and watched so many different things that it can become jumbled. There's nothing like hands on experience to make it sink in.

I'm also trying to decide if my #1 hive swarmed and we completely missed it. Still so weird we only found one cell. There is a lot of brood and bees in there, as well as eggs and larvae. So even if they did, we're still in good shape.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm also trying to decide if my #1 hive swarmed and we completely missed it. Still so weird we only found one cell. There is a lot of brood and bees in there, as well as eggs and larvae. So even if they did, we're still in good shape.

We weren't sure which of our hives swarmed. I'm next to sure that it was the Charlatans, hubby thought it could have been the Newbies. Either way, you wouldn't have known it when you looked inside. Both hives were full of busy bees. If I hadn't heard the buzzing and seen the cloud of bees in the air -- and then the swarm in the tree -- I wouldn't have known that they swarmed.

 

[drstratton]

We weren't sure which of our hives swarmed. I'm next to sure that it was the Charlatans, hubby thought it could have been the Newbies. Either way, you wouldn't have known it when you looked inside. Both hives were full of busy bees. If I hadn't heard the buzzing and seen the cloud of bees in the air -- and then the swarm in the tree -- I wouldn't have known that they swarmed.

I've heard it's hard to tell. I'm not sure if mine did, but I'm not discounting it.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

A per bee count is more accurate than a per hive count. You'll have a better idea of whats going on after mite washes.

I agree, not knowing how the count was done I did the math assuming it was a wash and the results were not good. I have never done a board count so I can't answer to that. I will be doing my prewinter wash in the next few wks to see where I stand. Last one I was 0 for 3 hives. With the volume of bees a wash won't hurt the total number of bees per hive going into winter.

 

[drstratton]

I agree, not knowing how the count was done I did the math assuming it was a wash and the results were not good. I have never done a board count so I can't answer to that. I will be doing my prewinter wash in the next few wks to see where I stand. Last one I was 0 for 3 hives. With the volume of bees a wash won't hurt the total number of bees per hive going into winter.

I think I'd stand a big chance to lose my hive if the counts were that high from a wash. These nasty little buggers were all dead. I'm thinking we hit them at just the right time with the OAV, must have been a lot of bees emerging.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

The local Ridley's does case lot sales. A 25 lb. bag of sugar qualifies as a case lot. I buy it when it goes on sale. I believe that the last bag I bought was $11.00. I do have more than one spare bag.

I also like to stockpile the sugar. Somehow I got caught short, blaming DW''s Hummingbirds.

 

[drstratton]

I also like to stockpile the sugar. Somehow I got caught short, blaming DW''s Hummingbirds.

I need to pick up more sugar too!

I think we're going to do sugar bricks instead of candy boards. Dale read that the bees will only eat the center of the boards and leave most of what's on the outer edges.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

I need to pick up more sugar too!

I think we're going to do sugar bricks instead of candy boards. Dale read that the bees will only eat the center of the boards and leave most of whats on the outer edges.

I have found they will start were I give them the exit hole, they access the whole block, crawling on the top and creating holes randomly both from the top and bottom. This past spring not much was consumed because of their own stores. Another benefit I find with the blocks is moisture absorption from the bee's interior activity.

I need to pick up more sugar too!

I think we're going to do sugar bricks instead of candy boards. Dale read that the bees will only eat the center of the boards and leave most of what's on the outer edges.

The blocks are less work too.

 

[drstratton]

I have found they will start were I give them the exit hole, they access the whole block, crawling on the top and creating holes randomly both from the top and bottom. This past spring not much was consumed because of their own stores. Another benefit I find with the blocks is moisture absorption from the bee's interior activity.

The blocks are less work too.

That's an added bonus.

 

[drstratton]

When feeding the bees in the fall, do you refill as soon as they empty what you've given them? My girls can suck down a 2 quart jar in a few days. I'm also trying to decide if I should put 2 jars on. I want to make sure they have plenty of stores.

I had to back off when we were feeding them before summer, because they were storing it and becoming honey bound. I'd read and heard, give them as much as they want, plus we wanted to help them build comb. They always took what we gave them. It never seemed to slow down. We started giving them just 2 quarts per week.

I'm excited for next season. They've built out enough comb, so we will be able to stop feeding them as soon as the nectar flow starts. We still have quite a few that aren't drawn out. I plan on checkerboarding those in. Hopefully they will finish drawing out every frame we have next year.