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

[Beekissed]

I don't know where my time goes. Since I was last on I have been blessed in many ways. I was ordained as a deacon in my church. I am so glad to have my church family. I have a couple that needed a place to put a temporary cabin while they get there life together. I am renting them the top lot on my property. The few extra dollars help out and Gene does all my bush hogging, rototilling etc..with my big tractor. I can't even climb up on it so that is a real help. Tammy and I went in on 30 meat birds and we are butchering the last of them today. We are sharing the pig. Gene is really good at building pens. I have a great mentor for the bees. My lawn is mostly clover and I have tons of berry bushes. I planted a field of sunflowers that they seem to enjoy and the seeds will go to my layers this winter. Tammy and I put in an extensive garden. I keep busy. I have reunited with a cousin that I was close to when I was a kid. She lives in Erie, PA where I grew up. I am going up on Wed. for a visit and to attend a Native American Powwow in Salamanca, NY with her and her daughters on Saturday and will return home on Sunday. That is another blessing of having my tenants. They will feed for me if I need to make a trip. I know I am rambling, but have missed all of you and I promise I will check in more often.

What incredible news!!!!

I'm so very glad to hear all of this! How neat to finally be able to work your farm the way you wanted to and to have live in help for that is just a blessing indeed. I'm so pleased! You should stop over to the "other" Porch and tell the folks there if you get the chance. They've been wondering where you've been and how you've been. I'll be so happy to be able to tell them you are doing well and walking with the Lord.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Waiting out the rain here with plans of making up a double nuc tomorrow. Had two hives look rather dismal last month. Broke down and purchased two queens to put into them before the rains. Could not find the queen if it was inside the veil on my nose. With tearing one hive apart determined it was utterly honey bound. Pulled frames up in hopes they start drawing comb- on a great flow here but they didn't move up. The other failing hive didn't have any brood three weeks ago. Week later it had brood, week later it had all drone. Assumption was it was queenless, swarmed and she didn't return or something. Getting into it Friday out of nowhere there was a complete frame of very good pattern worker brood.

There I was with potential of two good hives, unable to find queens and now holding two caged queens at the start of a wet and cold weekend... Google is my friend. Learned to place a wet Q-tip on top of cage twice a day for water. Didn't know you could keep a caged queen with attendants that way for well over a week.

My one strong hive will have to be seriously cut down to make up the nucs but happy it seems to be working out. Plenty of time to evaluate, find queens if needing to dispatch later. May not get honey this year but may have two extra colonies going into winter which is not a bad thing.

 

[rrrmamma]

When my other computer crashed I lost the link to the Other porch and haven't been able to get back on. Help if you can.

 

[Beekissed]

When my other computer crashed I lost the link to the Other porch and haven't been able to get back on. Help if you can.

Sure can! http://thefrontporchswing.freeforums.org/index.php?sid=ae8929d9e7a4faa1f4379812eded7c5b

 

[luckysaysgo]

So with the Warren the hive starts out in the top super, and migrates down, filling with honey as they move the brood into the lower new combs, right?

Too bad there is not a vertical sliding rail system with some kind of upward pressure so you didn't have to manually lift the lower supers to put the newly empty harvested supers on the bottom. If there were I'm sure it would be pricey.

there are lifts...also you can super a warre....I have not tried but have seen online at warre hive store a modified warre that is more hexagonal...I'm liking my warre way better than my top bar...started with two boxes on it and have had to add 2 more already..bees seem happy in it.

 

[waddles99]

Some of you may remember me when I started out my top bar give a couple months ago. I wanted to update with this pic. They are already filled their first section and I am getting ready to expand it for them.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

That looks really good. You can see the white comb of a flow for honey surplus even. How long is the hive body now?

 

[waddles99]

That looks really good. You can see the white comb of a flow for honey surplus even. How long is the hive body now?

Its 48" but i have it sectioned off to 14". I was worried that they don't look even with the bars, do you think that is the case?

 

[rebrascora]

Yes it looks like you have a bit of cross combing going on where there has been a honey flow. What width are your bars and did you use wider bars when they started laying down stores?
Have you done any inspections since installing them?
I think you may no longer be able to inspect them comb by comb now (at least not from that end) without suffering comb collapse and most likely creating a horrible sticky mess in the bottom of the hive as a result, which could then trigger robbing, so best left undisturbed for now..
If that was my hive I would make myself a follower board with a large 6-7 inch hole cut out of the centre and then place that next to the last comb and give them a couple of empty top bars with good comb guides beyond that and then the proper follower....the idea being that they have to start building comb in line with the bars after the cut out follower... like a fresh start.
The cross comb is better dealt with in early spring when most of the honey has been eaten and there is not much brood and fewer bees to get upset. The comb is cooler then too and more mature and therefore more stable to handle. If you have to cut through comb you should be able to hold it then without it collapsing

Good luck with them.

Barbara

 

[CherMoz]

Happy New Year!

Does anyone have advice on transferring a regular four-frame nuc into a top bar hive? All ideas welcome.