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

[Hatchery Hive]

Here is the Mega Hive with the new upper door installed.

 

[geekyearthmomma]

Does anyone move their hives in the fall. My dad and I would like to get Bees in the next year or so. We would like to keep them in the back field (my parents have 80+ acres of organic land). But I would worry about them there in the winter since it gets crazy windy and cold and theres no access due to the snow. I would like to bring them down to my house in the fall.

 

[3goodeggs]

Here is the Mega Hive with the new upper door installed.

@Hatchery Hive
The top brooder box, for honey or for brood without the queen? I mean, did you brush off the bees and move brood up there, or is it for honey?
I have a difficult time lifting the medium super full of honey higher than my shoulders.
I like the upper door. I might try that next year on the bigger hive. It is two brood boxes and two supers, but I will need to add another of each in the spring.

also that brown box in the photo to the left of the top super box, is that more bees or ...hey, I bet that that is for chickens. Is that your coop?

 

[mak1]

Take off as many boxes possible you don't need that much They wont be able to heat everything. Leave them food. They will form into one big ball really tightly.

 

[Hatchery Hive]

Bottom 3 deep supers are all brood boxes for winter.
Next 2 mediums above queen extruder are mine. and will be removed before winter.
A feeder inside deep super up top.
everything above the queen extruder will go away before winter.

Brown background box is one of my 3 chicken coops.

 

[mak1]

Do all three boxes have brood in there? And does every box have bees? The queen will not lay a lot of eggs in winter.

 

[3goodeggs]

I like that idea. We have the jar sticking up, but we do not get snow so we do not have to worry about clearing that off to replace the feeder.
In the summer it gets plenty hot though, Having it inside might help keep the hive cooler for us.

One of our brood boxes is almost all capped honey, I think we will be alright.

They are still bringing in pollen down here, so If they have not cleaned out the top super (we put the comb that we spun back in for them to clean up) by winter, we will put it in the chest freezer until spring.
My worry is that they might swarm if they do not have enough room.
Florida can be productive all year because some winters are so mild.
I have another hive body ready to catch a swarm if we need to, but I would rather they make honey and stop working so hard making more hive.

 

[Happy Chooks]

For those with upper entrances in the summer, do you just get honey in the super or do they store pollen there too? I use a QE in the summer, and am thinking about adding an upper entrance next summer.

 

[3goodeggs]

I had not thought of that. Good question.

 

[Hatchery Hive]

They get some pollen but mostly packed honey. The door gives them faster access to the upper part of the hive and thus they draw out the comb and unload honey more quickly as well.