Bees, so many bees!

[Ole rooster]

Reading this is looking things could get out of control pretty quickly when a talk with you neighbor certainly would help. Ask him what you could do to keep his bees off your equipment. As fast as honey bees are dying these days I don't think killing these would be very smart. Chemicals are raising havoc on the bee colonies. GMO's are adding greatly to the problem from all I've read.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Kinda wondering if pesticide would make birds sick if they ate the dead bees.

 

[Kadjain]

Show a picture of everything. Waters, damage, bees at them. Silicon is too tough for bees to chew.

No it's not and yes I'll get some pics and show you. It has been pouring down rain for the past couple days and suppose to keep up for a week or so but if we have a good day I'm sure they'll be back and I'll take pics of them in action.

I'm not going to use pesticides to kill his bees, maybe call another beek to trap them or do the box thing .. .

Thanks for those suggestions

 

[Kadjain]

The rain stopped for a couple days. The bees have been mellow and from the pics you can see what a mellow day with the bees looks like. Normally on a nice day all the feeders are completely covered and you can not see the feed. This is what my birds have to get through to eat .. .





Here is the damage they have done to the waterers.

They completely cleared most of the silicone from this one

And here is one in the process. They don't chew it but they must have some powerful saliva. On a nice day you can not see the seals at all as they are completely covered with bees all licking at it.


Here is one I have recently repaired. I double sealed the connections and they have not messed with it since. Most of them I double sealed inside and outside but the first few I only sealed on the outside and I think those are the ones that they can smell the water through the silicone. But I don't know why they go through the trouble of getting through the silicone when I have 4 large ponds for the ducks and geese and we have water troughs for the horses .. ?

 

[centrarchid]

Bee numbers quite high which might be a direct stressor on birds not wanting to be around so many untasty neighbors at the trough. That is where you appear to have strong point of contention.

With respect to damage silicon you will not have a strong footing. I routinely use what you have in an aquaculture setting. Bees will not be able to get down to areas where silicon actually forms seal; even when using their extended proboscis as shown in second to last image.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Perhaps in the feed there is some sugars they are craving. Maybe coming from the corn?
Are there any wild flowers blooming for them to feed on right now? Perhaps they have been robbed of any honey they made to get through the winter (non flower) season and are desperate.
Maybe there is condensation on the outside of the waterers and it is running down to the joint where they are again desperate.
I know you just had rain in your area but puddles dry up and bees go where they know water will be.
Are the duck ponds actual ponds or kiddie pools. Bees drown easily and slippery sides are avoided. They need footing to get out of the water. I noticed they are hanging on to the tiny ledge for footing.
Are your duck ponds farther from the neighbor than the waterers?

I found a couple pics of the bees using the rock I put in the dish for them. Maybe your neighbor is not so educated about what they need once the honey has been gathered. My neighbor gives his sugar water in the winter when it is warm and they come out.




Personally I do not use honey. Bee puke icky.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Perhaps in the feed there is some sugars they are craving. Maybe coming from the corn?
Are there any wild flowers blooming for them to feed on right now? Perhaps they have been robbed of any honey they made to get through the winter (non flower) season and are desperate.
Maybe there is condensation on the outside of the waterers and it is running down to the joint where they are again desperate.
I know you just had rain in your area but puddles dry up and bees go where they know water will be.
Are the duck ponds actual ponds or kiddie pools. Bees drown easily and slippery sides are avoided. They need footing to get out of the water. I noticed they are hanging on to the tiny ledge for footing.
Are your duck ponds farther from the neighbor than the waterers?

I found a couple pics of the bees using the rock I put in the dish for them. Maybe your neighbor is not so educated about what they need once the honey has been gathered. My neighbor gives his sugar water in the winter when it is warm and they come out.




Personally I do not use honey. Bee puke icky.

Bees have a dual need for food. Adult bees must have a sugar source they eat little else after emerging from the cell or cocoon. Bee larva like all young animals must have a source of protein. Nectar, honey, syrup, Coke Classic, or just plain old table sugar serves as a source of calories for adult honey bees.

Remember that each individual honey bee is not a living animal in the strictest sense of the word because it is impossible for any one honey bee to live without the support of its hive.

Honey bee larva are growing developing insects and they need protein. The bees working your feeders are searching for a protein source and at this time of year there are few flowers in bloom to provide the bees with the high protein pollen that they need to raise young. Therefor the bees are foraging for anything that is available and that is the dust from your chicken feed. Feeding a wet mash will dramatically reduce the number of bees that are working your chicken feed as will buying a better grade of feed without the dust or powered grain in it.

Bees like any animal need good old H2O. You can probably stop them from attacking your water fountains by providing a source of water. Being a beek myself I think that the problem will correct itself. One reason honey bees are dying is because too many bee keepers are either too lazy or too misinformed about honey bees to keep their hives alive little less healthy and strong. Bees will leave your chicken plant alone once a better source of food becomes available, I also strongly suspect that your neighbor will have his own bout of colony collaps if he doesn't get with the program and help provide what the bees need to survive. I am dismounting from my soap box now.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Bee numbers quite high which might be a direct stressor on birds not wanting to be around so many untasty neighbors at the trough. That is where you appear to have strong point of contention.

With respect to damage silicon you will not have a strong footing. I routinely use what you have in an aquaculture setting. Bees will not be able to get down to areas where silicon actually forms seal; even when using their extended proboscis as shown in second to last image.

2 X

Also notice the water droplets below the joint where the silicone is. I don't know what type of plastic that you are using but it seems that if you are using PVC or better pipe, coupled with the correct cement that a beaver couldn't gnaw it at the joint.

 

[aart]

I'm just wondering why the keeper is not providing the water and protein his hives need???

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Quote:

Right now is usually when California beeks who do custom pollination start feeding syrup and putting pollen patties in their hives.

The reason is because almond and other farmers refuse to shell out the green to rent bee hives with only a hand full of field bees in them. You folks can't sell a dozen eggs with only 3 or 4 eggs in the carton can you? Well farmers don't pay for pollination services if there is no pollinating going on.

Since bees sit on the nest sort of like a hen does and like a baby chicken it requires 21 days from the day that the egg is laid until a new bee emerges from its brood cell, it requires lead time for a hive to build up or produce a high enough population to gather enough nectar, pollen, water, and propolis to feed themselves and also to raise enough new nurse and field bees to keep the brood combs at 93 degrees while also pollinating crops.

Of course with the President threating to veto the latest attempt to aid the farmers in the Western part of California's Central Valley by allotting them more irrigation water, farmers have already bulldozed up a lot of almond trees and even more crop and orchard land has reverted to desert. This depresses the demand for bee hives to pollinate certain nut and fruit crops. Since the thread starter is smack dab in the middle of the Central Valley I expect him and several other people in this area will have problems coping with starving and desperate bees because there is just not enough work anymore for bees in your neck of the woods to keep a hive well fed.