Bee keeping

[OwlandBear]

Welcome to the wonderful world of bee and chicken keeping!!! Chickens love to eat things called wax moths the grow inside the beehive too!

Last year we had a bad wax moth infestation, I mean it was nasty! We brought some hens over to where we were working the hives and just let them at the damaged frames. They had a wonderful feat that day! We lost the hive, but at least the chickens were happy.

 

[PeckPeckChick]

Last year we had a bad wax moth infestation, I mean it was nasty! We brought some hens over to where we were working the hives and just let them at the damaged frames. They had a wonderful feat that day! We lost the hive, but at least the chickens were happy.

Yes they just love them! We also just lost a hive but just put in another one yesterday e

 

[Life is Good!]

Spring top bar hive report from IL.....

Going into November, we had 2 tbh's - 1) one very strong and 2) one that swarmed in late August and was trying to rebuild.

The one trying to rebuild didn't survive this exceptionally deeply cold northern IL winter....they were alive after the first 7 deep cold snaps (-30 for days on end)....but for whatever reason, the cluster split up and the hive perished by late January. If my notes are accurate, the last time I saw movement in the hive was after the Jan. 20-22nd cold snap. But not after the Jan. 29-30 cold snap (couldn't see the bee cluster at all). So somewhere in there, the hive perished.

The strong hive SURVIVED! And they are re-building the workforce, which means leaving ALL their honey and pollen in place was the wise choice for this hive. So beautiful to peek through the window and see the cluster getting bigger! Once the spring flow comes on, I'll harvest last fall's honey - likely about 6bars. I'll leave the rest for the bees to use. And I've opened up the hive so the house bees can start building comb whenever they'd like.

Last week's warm spell (got above 50 for a few hours!) meant that the foragers were out trying out their wings and getting oriented to outdoors! Yeah girls!

And as a bonus, I've now got an empty hive in which to do a split of the stronger hive in just a few short weeks! First, I'm robbing the honey out of it - yummy! The honey's coming to Seder next week! I'll leave 2 bars of honey for the new split. And the new comb which wasn't finished nor filled out.....that stays. Everything else needs to be cleaned out. Ugh. Sticky messy job. Wish my hens were closer, they'd love the treat!

Spring still isn't here yet. It's April 4th and we barely have pussy willows budded. The maple tried to bud, but it's been too cold to open up for the bees to get in there. Can't wait for sunshine and warmer temps! It's a whopping 30 degrees today. Ugh.

 

[CSWolffe]

We are off to a good start with the nectar flow here, apple/cheery/peach trees are blooming, and dandelions, my girls are working hard.
All four of my hives made it through the winter, three top bars and one Warre. The Italians-two top bars and my Warre-were struggling in early March, with only a handful of foragers, but numbers are increasing daily. The Carnolians in my top bar, on the other hand, are doing frighteningly well. with drone emerging last week, and swarm cells that forced me to do a split so I could expand the brood nest. They are doing so well, in fact, that the ten frames of honey I was planning on harvesting last saturday(I harvest only in the spring, taking what they've not eaten over winter) are now filled with brood. Sigh. Oh well. My goal is happy healthy bees before honey, so I guess that's a win, right?

 

[SunnySkies]

Hived my packages yesterday, no gloves, and they are flying today. Setting up, etc, and going to watch them today has been a good thing for my mental and emotional health.

 

[RichnSteph]

edited...... sometimes I don't know where my mind is.

 

[Parson's Wife]

Question: We have a 'hive' located up HIGH HIGH, did I mention HIGH? Problem...it's in my backyard, and my son is allergic to stings. I want to move them. It's an old hive, in the hollow spot in a tree where a limb broke off..this is year 2 (that I know of)...
I've tried jars of honey in boxes, crates, etc...
I don't want to hurt them, would even love to keep them...but the main thing is to move them.
Any ideas? No ladder would be tall enough.

 

[TexasLisa]

Question: We have a 'hive' located up HIGH HIGH, did I mention HIGH? Problem...it's in my backyard, and my son is allergic to stings. I want to move them. It's an old hive, in the hollow spot in a tree where a limb broke off..this is year 2 (that I know of)...
I've tried jars of honey in boxes, crates, etc...
I don't want to hurt them, would even love to keep them...but the main thing is to move them.
Any ideas? No ladder would be tall enough.

Good Morning!

Call your County Extension agent. He should be able to give you the name and numbers of the Beekeeper's Association.

Good luck,

Lisa

 

[Parson's Wife]

Thank you, I will try that.

 

[Craftycindy]

My hubby and I are in our second year of beekeeping we started with with 3 hives we now have 14 but we just lost one hive from another hive robbing our weakest hive so now we have 13. It was just a small hobby but I think my hubby got carried away . In the spring he'll start moving hives during the honey flow times . It a hobby we o together I start making bee fondant or the winter very soon. So it can be a very addicting hobby.

Tis is just part of our bee nursery as my hubby calls it.