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

[PotterWatch]

My bees seem like they have been industrious and happy with their new home. They have been there almost a week now. When we put them in, we removed four frames to give us room to dump them in. When should I put those frames back in?

 

[RThomas]

I haven't read the entire thread yet, but will probably do so when I get home (and have more time). I've loved bees since I was a kid. I remember I would take a small paint brush and put a little dab of white paint on the backs of bees at my great-grandmother's house. The same bees would come back day after day.

I've been looking at getting bees for the last couple of years, but just haven't taken the dive yet. I know there are some bee clubs in the area, and some offer classes. Too late to get bees this year, but perhaps next year.

Also, we have fruit trees on our property. Normally, when the trees are in full bloom, they are covered in bees. This year, however, I didn't see one honey bee. Nada, nothing. Even the clover and dandelions are bee-free. I know about the declining bee population, but was still surprised at the lack of bees this year. So far, I've seen one honey bee this spring.

Anyway, this thread has gotten me excited again about keeping bees. Thanks to all who have offered advise and information.

 

[heritagebirds]

I had one honey bee in my house, but other than that, all the bees on the apples tree blossoms were different kinds. I am hoping to have 2-3 hives next year, if I can keep my first one healthy through the winter.

 

[heritagebirds]

Quote:
For my package, we are leaving the box in for a week with half the frames and then when we remove the box, we can put the rest of the frames back in.

 

[JP33]

Quote:
Immediately.


...JP

 

[SamG347]

Jp said what I was going to say...immediatley after dumping the bees in you should gently replace all frames and make sure they are tight. You might kill a few bees but that is beekeeping you will not go especially your first year without killing bees. With that extra gap that was created by removing the frames the bees are probably building comb off the inner cover.

 

[Southern Bee Lady]

For my package, we are leaving the box in for a week with half the frames and then when we remove the box, we can put the rest of the frames back in.

If you leave frames out for a week, don't be surprised if the bees build comb in any spaces that they can fit it in.
A friend just had this happen in two or three days with a package he put in and left out some frames. If a package is getting sugar syrup or nectar they will start building. This goes back to the basic rule of "bee space" less than 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch-they will fill it up usually with propolis----greater than 3/8 inch they will fill it with comb.

Good luck with your package. This is the most exciting time in the beekeeping year.​

 

[sgtmom52]

The speakers at our local Beekeepers Assoc. meeting next week are Ross Conrad, the author of Natural Beekeeping, Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture and Tama Matsuoka, who specializes in natural meadows, bees and pollination. Looks to be a very interesting and educational evening!

 

[PotterWatch]

I opened the hive today to put back the missing frames. My bees have been very busy little creatures! Two frames were about half full of comb (the only foundation I use are 2" starter strips). They may have been working on more frames, but I didn't look too closely. They had started to build some comb on the lid in the space where there were no frames. I wasn't really prepared to do anything with that and luckily it wasn't a ton of comb... maybe about 4in square. I ended up taking that off the lid and keeping it since I didn't have the material to put it in a frame. I'm sorry to have lost that comb, but at least they had lots more built. I didn't see any brood or the queen, but I really didn't look either. I didn't want to have it open for too long and there were so many bees on the comb in the frames! I will take a closer look next time I open it. Considering they have been in the hive for less than a week, I was really stunned at the amount of work they had already done. Good bees!

 

[heritagebirds]

Quote:
If you leave frames out for a week, don't be surprised if the bees build comb in any spaces that they can fit it in.
A friend just had this happen in two or three days with a package he put in and left out some frames. If a package is getting sugar syrup or nectar they will start building. This goes back to the basic rule of "bee space" less than 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch-they will fill it up usually with propolis----greater than 3/8 inch they will fill it with comb.

Good luck with your package. This is the most exciting time in the beekeeping year.

Well, the bee box is in the hive for that week, as I am doing the do-nothing method with my first batch of bees...as soon as the week is up I'll put the rest in. It is what I was told to do... I'm sure I'll have some cleanup every time I open the hive...it's all good.