Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[sgtmom52]

I don't think so. They had a much longer body frame and more yellow on them than a honey bee. Can't say I could identify my drones in my hive, but these 2 outside didn't look like anything I've seen inside the hive.

Okay, thanks to google, it looks like a yellow jacket.

Here is a picture from one of my hives showing a marked queen, lots of worker bees and a couple of drones, which I circled. An easy way to tell drones, is that they are a little bigger than workers, have large eyes which touch in the center and have a fat blunt tail end instead of a pointy tail. Drones do not have a stinger.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yep, they look like the yellowjacket. Good to know it's normal and nothing is amiss in my hive.

I spotted your queen right off the bat! Thanks for showing the drones. I'll have to look more closely next time I open the hive.

 

[CSWolffe]

In my case, all the dead drones being kicked out attracted the yellow jackets, which have also been trying to rob. I have read that closing off part of the entrance helps them defend better, so I did that, cutting the entrance down from four inches wide to two. That seems to help, and is not noticeably slowing my girls down at all. This should also help them keep the interior at the proper temp this winter.
I am using the Warre method, btw, so some methods and dimensions will be different than the traditional Langstroth.

 

[Godsgrl]

I've been wanting to keep bees for some time now. After an experienced beekeeper gave us a frame of honeycomb, my interest has really peaked. My dh worries the bees will sting our neighbors, (I don't think he quite gets it). My only concern is that I still have to mow the yard. Any suggestions on mixing bees and mowing? Where do you keep your hives to avoid this problem? Thanks!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've been wanting to keep bees for some time now. After an experienced beekeeper gave us a frame of honeycomb, my interest has really peaked. My dh worries the bees will sting our neighbors, (I don't think he quite gets it). My only concern is that I still have to mow the yard. Any suggestions on mixing bees and mowing? Where do you keep your hives to avoid this problem? Thanks!!

Keep the bees away from a high traffic area. You don't want to block their flight path into the entrance of the hive.

I have only had bees since this spring, but I have yet to be stung just doing work around my property. (we're on 5 acres) I am frequently in the chicken yard (bees come to drink from the auto waterers even though I have water next to their hive) and I pulled weeds this weekend in my garden, even with the bees all over the clover between the boxes. I had a few buzz my head, but just kept working and they moved on. In fact that is the first time I have not shaken my head or waved a hand at a bee! (a hard habit to break) I'm getting used to them.

The bees do get more testy when it's hot, so just plan your mowing work in the morning when it's the coolest.

 

[Deb B]

When a honey bee stings it dies (because it has a barbed stinger which pulls part of it's abdomen out when it stings you). So they are much more reluctant to sting than a hornet or a wasp. You really don't need to worry about the bees when you are working in the yard. Occasionally when I mow across the flight path of my bees (we have a riding mower) I run into one (or it runs into me) but they won't sting....it's kinda like "pardon me" and they fly on. When weeding in the garden they generally just move away from where you are working. So short of stepping on one barefoot, your chances of being stung by one of your honey bees when working around the yard is pretty slim. The one exception is weed wacking very near your hives. That throws debris around and irritates the bees, so that is best done as quickly as possible when you are doing it within a few feet of your hives!

 

[Godsgrl]

Thank you for your input on this!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Gosh my girls are sucking up that 2:1 syrup! 1 day and it's GONE!

 

[Deb B]

We have been having a small fall flow from goldenrod and asters so my girls have been bringing in nectar of their own. It's kinda nice because many years we don't have this.

 

[sgtmom52]

We had an audience when we checked some of our hives today. They were very interested in what we were doing.