A BEE thread....for those interested in beekeeping.

[SamG347]

Agree 100% with JP....Buy....pack....light...and puff a smoker! You will not regret it and the bees really aren't adversly effected by the use of it either. Always have my smoker lit when crackin open the hives....though it doesnt always stay lit through every hive..

Congrats on the new bees enjoy them!

 

[#1California Chick]

I just got my second hive! My first hive, a swarm collected last Aug or Sept, is doing REALLY well.

I see my bees all over my yard - berries, blooming trees, veggies, etc.

I can hardly wait for the honey!

Cindy

 

[d1]

I havent searched ALLLLLL 56 pages of this thread so dont shoot me

can you keep several different species in one place (italians,russians etc in the same yard/area) or do you have to have distance between them?


in a TBH how hard is it to separate the wax from the comb for use?

how is it done?

how do you clean it before putting it in a mold?

I am sure I will have more ?'s when these get answered

thanks and be patient with me please, just ignorant tying to get educated here

 

[Caat]

Quote:
as far as I know, doesn't really matter what your bees are (except africanized killer honey bees) they can all be kept in the same bee yard. Well that's according to the Bee inspector at the bee keeper workshop I took.

what's a TBH? nvr heard the term.

Bees must draw the combs from the foundation prior to being able to produce honey. most foundation is set in frames and are held in place (for the honey frames) with wires. You CAN get wireless foundation but you wouldn't be able to put the frames through an extractor.

to separate the honey fro the combs you need something to remove the caps off the combs, then you put your frames through an extractor. The ideal room temp tpo extract honey is 90F. You then run the honey through various strainers to ensure that debris is removed. Now you could scrape the combs from the foundation but it will take the bees a long time to rebuild their honey comb for the next year.

If you want to use the wax for candel making for example, gather all the "crap" from your stainers, get a metal bucket, at the top "drill" a hole, insert a spout, on the opposite side make a hole near the bottom, sodder a 1" metal pipe so that you can pour water through it and it will enter the bucket from the bottom. set your bucket on a how plate, add the "crap" then fill the bucket 3/4 with water, let it warm up and melt/separate the good wax. Keep a kettel on hand with freshly boiled water and pour it into the pipe so the water enters from the bottom and allows for the wax to pour out your spout.

Wish I had pics to explain what I mean.

Hope I helped

 

[sgtmom52]

what's a TBH? nvr heard the term.

Top Bar Hive ~ here is one DH built over the winter just for fun. We just put bees in it the day after Easter. and these pictures were taken 3 days after the bees were installed ~ we are going to check them again today hoping for a lot more drawn comb.
We mainly use Langstroth hives.

 

[Caat]

Quote:
Top Bar Hive ~ here is one DH built over the winter just for fun. We just put bees in it the day after Easter. and these pictures were taken 3 days after the bees were installed ~ we are going to check them again today hoping for a lot more drawn comb.
We mainly use Langstroth hives.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Beekeeping/P1130467.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Beekeeping/P1130466.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Beekeeping/P1130464.jpg

wow! love the pictures! I've noticed you don't use foundation for the bees to draw their comb on, is that because you want comb honey?

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Top Bar Hive ~ here is one DH built over the winter just for fun. We just put bees in it the day after Easter. and these pictures were taken 3 days after the bees were installed ~ we are going to check them again today hoping for a lot more drawn comb.
We mainly use Langstroth hives.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Beekeeping/P1130467.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Beekeeping/P1130466.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Beekeeping/P1130464.jpg

wow! love the pictures! I've noticed you don't use foundation for the bees to draw their comb on, is that because you want comb honey?

Top Bar Hives have been around for a very long time. This style is a Kenyan Top Bar Hive which was designed for use in 3rd world mostly tropical countries. It can be made from 1 sheet of plywood and requires no equipment to extract the honey. The comb is cut from the top bars and crushed or cut into comb honey. They are not as efficient for honey production as Langstroth Hives.

We cut a small groove in the top bar and attached a 1/4" strip of wax foundation into the groove to give the bees a starting point to draw their own comb. We made this hive just for fun, to try something new and to try making some cut comb this year.

 

[Caat]

Quote:
wow! love the pictures! I've noticed you don't use foundation for the bees to draw their comb on, is that because you want comb honey?

Top Bar Hives have been around for a very long time. This style is a Kenyan Top Bar Hive which was designed for use in 3rd world mostly tropical countries. It can be made from 1 sheet of plywood and requires no equipment to extract the honey. The comb is cut from the top bars and crushed or cut into comb honey. They are not as efficient for honey production as Langstroth Hives.

We cut a small groove in the top bar and attached a 1/4" strip of wax foundation into the groove to give the bees a starting point to draw their own comb. We made this hive just for fun and to try something new and to try making some cut comb this year.

That's pretty cool! makes sense that you could use so little foundation. I guess I figured that you would use an entire sheet just to make it easier but then again, if you want comb honey then you really don't need the full sheets especially if they are wired.

This year I'm setting up a coop and run and getting chickens. Next year, I will be seetting up hives, I really can't wait!

Thanks again for the really cool pictures!

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

You CAN get wireless foundation but you wouldn't be able to put the frames through an extractor.

FWIW: Dadant sells a plastic foundation that is covered with a light coat of wax and does not need wiring. I ran it through the extractor for multiple seasons and never had it crack or break. Wiring is a pain and I hate to do it, so this was a viable option for me even though it is a bit more money.

Rusty​

 

[PotterWatch]

I have a langstroth hive but use the same method of putting only a small strip of foundation at the top of each frame and letting the bees build their own comb off that.