Stella's Social Club

[drumstick diva]

Kelly too bad you couldn't install micro mini cameras inside the hives, then you could monitor without getting near them.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Thank you. They do have extra room in the super. It's mostly empty, except a couple of partial frames from last year, which they are finishing off and capping now. I will move the empty frames to the center in the brood nest. Should I do that in the super too?

I don't have a nuc box, so can I put them in a normal box with 10 frames? Actually, I do have a waxy cardboard NUC box with a yellow plastic plug. Will that work?

Sounds like you've done good. The waxy cardboard nuc box is fine. If you have any 8 frame boxes that's great too. A single 10 frame deep will work in a pinch (use 9 frames not 10 if you don't already) but you don't want them to be vulnerable to mites and hive beetles (I assume you have them there) while they are trying to get established.

Kelly too bad you couldn't install micro mini cameras inside the hives, then you could monitor without getting near them.

Except it's DARK in the hive.... not sure how much good that would do!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote: Thanks for your help.

If I used the waxy cardboard nuc box, I wouldn't be able to feed the colony, which I could from a 10 frame deep. We do have mites and I suppose hive beetles, but so far, I've not seen a hive beetle. I do use the 10 frames, why do you only use 9?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Thanks for your help.

If I used the waxy cardboard nuc box, I wouldn't be able to feed the colony, which I could from a 10 frame deep. We do have mites and I suppose hive beetles, but so far, I've not seen a hive beetle. I do use the 10 frames, why do you only use 9?

Then the 10 frame deep would be better, feeding them is a very good idea.

Unless we are giving them blank wax sheets, we always run 9 frames instead of 10. Makes them build it out a little further than the frame so uncapping is SO much easier. Also then there are less frames for them to patrol to keep out the mites, beetles, and moths. In fact we have a few boxes we bought second hand (I know, it's a no-no but we were scraping by at the time when we just got into bees), that have notched hive rests that only fit EIGHT frames into a 10 frame box! So it's not terribly uncommon. Also, we bought a frame spacer that makes it easier to get the frames evenly spaced, and it is also designed to space out 9 frames in a 10 frame box.

OK last post I promise- unless Kelly has more questions- about bees. Caught another swarm today, and they swarmed right into one of last winter's dead-outs that I was about to disassemble and scrape out! Ha at least it was easy! But seriously we have to remove them, these boxes are nasty- filled with wax moth webbing, etc. Anyway I posted a short video clip on my new FB page showing them pouring into the hive.

https://www.facebook.com/chickenfanatics/videos/vb.882138961850563/894190563978736/?type=2&theater

 

[Happy Chooks]

OK last post I promise- unless Kelly has more questions- about bees. Caught another swarm today, and they swarmed right into one of last winter's dead-outs that I was about to disassemble and scrape out! Ha at least it was easy! But seriously we have to remove them, these boxes are nasty- filled with wax moth webbing, etc. Anyway I posted a short video clip on my new FB page showing them pouring into the hive.

https://www.facebook.com/chickenfanatics/videos/vb.882138961850563/894190563978736/?type=2&theater

Too bad you didn't have it cleaned out first. How nice that they went right into a hive for you.n You have them trained now.

 

[1muttsfan]

Lucky you, Rinda! So if you want to move them do you just move the queen to a new hive, and the rest will follow on their own?

In the middle of an interesting hatch - the Delawares started last night, then this am my Arkansas Blues and AB/Cream Legbar mixes, and now I see some pips in the Welsummers, a full 24 hours after the first Dels

- I would think by now I would be used to the suspense, but apparently not! Oh they are sooo cute.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Lucky you, Rinda! So if you want to move them do you just move the queen to a new hive, and the rest will follow on their own?

In the middle of an interesting hatch - the Delawares started last night, then this am my Arkansas Blues and AB/Cream Legbar mixes, and now I see some pips in the Welsummers, a full 24 hours after the first Dels

- I would think by now I would be used to the suspense, but apparently not! Oh they are sooo cute.

Yep, we just opened it up and took it apart frame by frame and "tapped" each frame over the box we wanted them to go into, then closed the new hive up and left it in the same place. This makes THREE swarms (two this year and one last year) that swarmed up next to the back porch. I told Lonny we need to leave a baited catch box there on the porch every swarm season with those odds!

I sold off the rest of my Isbars after the puppies killed half my hens in January. I've missed them and people keep asking for them... so I'm back on them! Here are 10 chicks I got this week from one breeder. I have eggs from two other breeders in my incubator, as well as a dozen of my own line that I got back from a friend who had some from me.

This young Ameraucana rooster gets his shot in the breeding pen! My old black rooster has been limping for weeks and is no longer able to service the girls or get up on the roost bar.

No idea what's wrong. No injury I can feel, no bumblefoot. He better hurry up I have people waiting for eggs and chicks...

 

[Happy Chooks]

Rinda - sorry about the losses to the puppies. As for the male that is limping, put him in an area that he cant do any jumping and minimizes walking. I had a male with a leg injury, and it took a month to heal. He fully recovered though.

 

[drumstick diva]

Rinda, NO - my(your) puppies were too adorable to do things like that.

Must have been other puppies and you didn't notice.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Rinda - sorry about the losses to the puppies. As for the male that is limping, put him in an area that he cant do any jumping and minimizes walking. I had a male with a leg injury, and it took a month to heal. He fully recovered though.

He has been all week, but we'll see how he's doing Saturday before I make final call on him. I have someone coming for all my excess roosters Saturday.