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

[jbschickens]

Jumping onto this band wagon kind of late, but it so interesting! My friend randomly told me that she always pictured me becoming a beekeeper, but it made me start thinking about it and now I'm pretty interested.

 

[chicknerd]

Hello

I installed a hive yesterday by myself, I am a relative newbie. Now looking at the pictures in the book I may not have taken the cork out of the queen's package. I took the otherside off.

My question is, should I wait the full week to see if she is out, or should a wait a few days and check?

thanks

 

[Glenmar]

I waited 5 days. ( I think). I am new too.

 

[sgtmom52]

Hello

I installed a hive yesterday by myself, I am a relative newbie. Now looking at the pictures in the book I may not have taken the cork out of the queen's package. I took the otherside off.

My question is, should I wait the full week to see if she is out, or should a wait a few days and check?

thanks

You should take out the cork on the end where the white candy plug is so the bees can chew through the plug and release the queen. I normally check mine after 3 days and she is usually released by then. I use a screw and turn it into the cork and remove it like removing a cork from a wine bottle.

 

[NevadaRon]

I just got finished adding a new brood super to my hive. They have already almost filled the first one - they were just starting work on the last frame in it. Of course, some room was taken up by the frame feeder. So they now have the frame they just started working on and the new one I put in in place of the feeder. And, of course, a whole new level! They really are industrious - it's amazing what they've accomplished already. And there are definitely many more bees than I started with. Now whenever I opne the hive I see lots of juveniles.

 

[NevadaRon]

Two weeks ago I removed the frame feeder from the upper brood super and replaced it with an empty frame. All the other frames are fully drawn out and look to be full of brood.

I took this picture last Sunday evening.



The guy I got the bees from says this is called "bearding". He says it is a sign of a strong and populous colony that is just trying to cool itself on a hot August day.

 

[sgtmom52]

Looks good! Bearding is like sitting out on your front porch on a hot summer evening.

Two weeks ago I removed the frame feeder from the upper brood super and replaced it with an empty frame. All the other frames are fully drawn out and look to be full of brood.

I took this picture last Sunday evening.



The guy I got the bees from says this is called "bearding". He says it is a sign of a strong and populous colony that is just trying to cool itself on a hot August day.

 

[Sooner]

Hi everyone it's been a while since I posted but thought I would see what you guys did to get ready for the colder months coming. My hive seems really strong & the only thing that I have done was put the solid bottom back in that was removed for the hot summer months.

 

[NevadaRon]

All I did was add a mouse excluder. It has turned pretty cold here in the last two weeks so I'm not seeing very much activity. I have been wondering about this very question though: What should I be doing for winter prep?

 

[Stacykins]

Tarp, but with points to allow some airflow. Stagnant, moist air means hive death, there needs to be some ventilation.

Also, I am making them sugar glass. They finally decided it was too cold to take sugar water. But I still want to make sure they have a supplement. The usual fall goldenrod, a huge nectar source late in the year, did not bloom due to the drought. So they need help this year here. Some people use solid sugar, I am just taking it one step further.

I am going to be making sheets of sugar glass. Then forming 2" strips (score then break along that point). The strips of sugar glass will be lowered between the frames. The sugar glass will not only provide the bees additional winter food, but it will also attract any humidity in the hive, drawing it away from the bees. That is a bonus about sugar, it helps keep a hive drier if in a non liquid form.