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

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

I'm just full of questions the last few pages!
I have one more...
I got a new screened bottom board fro my hive! Yay! I think that the bees will like to have more air flow (its HOT where I live in the summer) and the added bonus of reducing/controling mites sounds good since I am paranoid about mites. Plus their old one is kinda old and grungey.
The PROBLEM is that my old bottom board happens to be screwed onto the bottom super from the bottom. Meaning I have to turn it upside down to separate them.
Would it be disasterously bad to take the new bottom board, set a new deep super on it next to the current hive, and then transfer the colony to the new box, frame by frame? I could then remove the old bottom board and empty super and stash them elsewhere. Will the bees notice/care that the walls in their bottom floor are different, and that their home moved 3 feet to the right? The upper supers they can keep as is, I will just move them over to the new ground floor.
I know I would have to be careful to make sure the queen gets moved over safely, but is there anything else that I have to worry about?

 

[rochrunner]

You and the bees will be fine doing what you described. You will want to smoke them to calm them down during the transfer, but otherwise the bees won't care as long as they have their queen. It's all about the pheromones.

 

[Quinn4321]

OK-- anyone in the hurricane's path, what are you doing to protect your hive?
Mine is in between 2 very sturdy trees. I am thinking of nailing boards onto the trees around it, or stringing a tarp around it to protect it. Thoughts??

 

[Stacykins]

Quote:
The tarp will just act like a sail in high winds, not a good idea. Instead of nailing, I'd suggest ratchet straps around the hives and tree. Less permanent and damaging for the hive bodies. You can also use a ratchet strap around the hive itself vertically to clamp the top, bottom board, and supers together tightly.

 

[Kansaseq]

I just made it through 65 pages, and some great information. My question is this: how do you mow around the hives? Will the sound and vibration irritate them into stinging you? May be a dumb question, but I just see myself on my riding mower with angry bees chasing me

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
I can usually mow with about 10 feet of my hives with no problems ~ unless there is something amiss with a hive. Once we had a hive the we were unaware was queenless ~ DH was mowing, the bees were grumpy and he got stung 10 times ~ you can't outrun honeybees on a lawn tractor!

If you are concerned ~ just wear your bee suit or veil when you are mowing close to the hives.

 

[Lark Rise]

Hello,
Joining this thread. We have had a top bar hive since April 2010 with Minnesota Hygienic bees. It's been a fascinating journey! I'll start reading through these posts over the next few days.
A forum we like to visit is and I'm sure many have already visited:
http://www.biobees.com/

 

[kbenz]

sometimes I can mow right up next to them, sometimes I gotta put on the suit. lot depends on time of year and whether or not there is a flow on

 

[sgtmom52]

We did a thorough exam of our hives today and found that they have very little honey stored for the winter so far.

We have had several weeks of very rainy weather thanks to Hurricane Irene and Lee which kept the bees from foraging causing them to eat what honey they had stored. Every day inside put them 2 days behind. We will now be feeding them heavily for the next month or so to get their stores built back up. We also plan to put fondant on for the winter.

 

[Avalon1984]

I inspected my one and only hive last weekend (my 1st year) and I have found that I have many bees and tons of honey. I have placed both deep supers a while ago (they are completely filled now) and now added a screen for the queen and a honey super for my own honey supply. I am torn whether I should split this hive or not. It sure looks like it has attracted every single bee in the neighborhood since my Italians have gotten many colorful friends since we started in May. I think I have some Russians in there now as well.

We live in Michigan and more than likely will have a rough winter ahead. Should I take the chance and split them this late in the year? I was thinking about removing 3 brood frames including brood that is 1-3 days old. Then I was going to take 2 supers that include plenty of nectar and honey and feed the colony for 2 weeks. Will they stand a chance for the upcoming winter? I am afraid to keep my one hive for there are so many bees in it. Even if I leave them all the honey I am afraid I may not get them through the winter, there is just so many of them.

Could I kindly ask what you all think?