Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[madamwlf]

Very nice!!!

I went to Brushy Mountain Bee Farm in PA yesterday and went to their demonstration and picked up my bees. It was a very good installation demonstration. So exciting!!

My first hives:

 

[sgtmom52]

Today I went out and collected a small cluster of bees that had been left behind when another beekeeper collected a swarm last week. I brought them home and am merging them with another swarm I got 2 weeks ago to boost the population in that hive. These new girls want to draw comb so bad you could see it on their abdomens and some were carrying wax in their mouths.

 

[madamwlf]

Nice, maybe some day I'll be brave enough to collect swarms.

 

[sgtmom52]

Nice, maybe some day I'll be brave enough to collect swarms.

Actually swarms collecting is really fun as the bees are very docile and rarely sting. They have no home, brood or food to protect and are focused on finding a new home. I almost always collect swarms without using my veil much to the amazement of non-beekeeping observers. You can do really cool things too ~ like putting your hand into the swarm and letting the bees walk on it. You can shake the bees onto a sheet in front of a hive box and watch all of the bees turn in unison toward the box and march right into it. It is almost like doing magic tricks for an audience!

 

[madamwlf]

Now that would be neat to see.

 

[sgtmom52]

Now that would be neat to see.

Here is an example of bees marching into a hive. When they are looking for a home and you supply what they want, they will march right in.

 

[madamwlf]

Wow, that was awesome!! And that was one big swarm!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Wow, that's a whole lotta bees! Very cool!

 

[ThePigeonKid]

On the 19th I installed a hive, I was looking at the hive this morning and the rubber band that was holding the queen was hanging out of the hive. Is that a problem? If so, what should I do?

 

[sgtmom52]

On the 19th I installed a hive, I was looking at the hive this morning and the rubber band that was holding the queen was hanging out of the hive. Is that a problem? If so, what should I do?

Just take it out. Bees are very clean and will remove things from the hive that they don't want in it ~ like the rubber band.