Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[madamwlf]

Okay, I need a bit of help. I need to move my 2 hives. They are sitting in the sun way too much so we are going to move them under our Cherry Blossom tree. We plan to strap them to the stands and move them tonight after dark. I'll block the entrance. Will this disrupt them? Also, should I still be feeding them this late in the year?

 

[sgtmom52]

Okay, I need a bit of help. I need to move my 2 hives. They are sitting in the sun way too much so we are going to move them under our Cherry Blossom tree. We plan to strap them to the stands and move them tonight after dark. I'll block the entrance. Will this disrupt them? Also, should I still be feeding them this late in the year?

When moving hives to a different spot within the same area they should be closed up at night with a screen for venilation then moved about 3 miles away for 2 or 3 days before moving to the new spot. Bees have sort of a built in GPS and if you move it less than a couple of miles the foragers will go back to the original spot. It takes a couple of miles & a couple of days to reset that "GPS". They actually should be OK in Maryland in the direct sun. You can help them stay a little cooler by putting a spacer like a small piece of wood in the front of the hive between the inner & outer covers to create airflow through the hives during really hot weather.

 

[madamwlf]

Wow, glad to know that. Thank you for the info. I guess we won't be moving them but it's good to know they can handle the heat. I was going to put some spacers under the outer covers too. I was thinking of planting two Butterfly Bushes a little in front of the hives to provide shade in the summer and should let sunlight in during the winter.

Should I still be feeding them?

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
If I remember they are new hives this year ~ so if they are still taking it you can feed they. They should be building up the comb on all of they frames and putting in some honey. They will need about 60 pounds of honey to make it through the the winter in your area. If they have a lot of the frames filled with honey not leaving the queen space to lay then stop feeding to prevent them from getting honey bound. With the weather we have been having there have been some new hives and nucs around here that are close to starving as they can't find enough nectar to both build comb and raise their young. Just remember to never feed them if you have a honey super in place as it is illegal to produce "honey" for sale made from sugar syrup.

 

[madamwlf]

I know hive #1 is doing great. It takes them longer to finish off their sugar syrup then it takes hive #2. I'll have to pick a day that is cooler and see what's going on inside again.

 

[madamwlf]

Wow, I need some help or advice. About 30 minutes ago, hive #1 swarmed. I never knew that many bees come fit in a bee hive. There were thousands of them. It looked like the swarmed to a branch that was about 40 feet up but I swear, it looked like the came back to the hive. First there were bees in the air, then near the branch then back in the air then near the hive. Is that possible? I'm assuming the swarmed with the first queen and I guess they raised a new queen. Could the hive have grown so big in that little time? I got these guys in beginning of April. Or maybe I need to put a super on. Could it be the queen ran out of room because of the honey? I was last in there about a week ago and they hadn't filled half the top box yet. Looks like I have to go in there tonight which I'm not looking forward to.

Oh, we couldn't find the old queen on the ground but the grass is tall. I did locate a clump of bees under the hive and wondering if that could possibly be her. I was so unprepared for this. I have only one hive box and it's not painted. Either way, it put it on the ground with some lemongrass oil in it. I put it close to the clump and will check it later to see if that was her. What should I keep on hand for emergencies like this? Also, if the hive has grown too large, how do I split it? Can I take a box off of one hive and start a new one? I'm way out of my element right now.

 

[madamwlf]

Is this not a queen honey bee??

 

[madamwlf]

Is this not a honey bee queen???

 

[sgtmom52]

Is this not a honey bee queen???

It does like like it could be. It is larger that the workers and doesn't look like a drone. They do put the queen on a diet and slim her down some so she can fly better before they swarm.

 

[madamwlf]

That's not my queen though. Mine is clipped and can't fly.