The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[JennaLynn122]

We just moved out where we have space for bees. When I get my chickens going, my next venture is bees. I have no clue how to start though; hopefully can find someone local to help me learn

I would they it but half of my house is allergic to bees so I think it'd be better not to.

 

[Happy Chooks]

The total number of eggs that were set for the 2014 Easter Hatch-a-long is...............

10,585!

Wow! We beat last years total by A LOT!


The member that guessed the closest was @macondon with a guess of 10,554! Congratulations!​

 

[Kismet]

Roosting Robin - Check out the bee clubs in your area. Most of them offer Bee Classes. Ours does, and I took it four years ago. And get yourself a bee mentor - our class hooks you up with one. It is really helpful to have someone to talk bees with - the learning curve is tremendous!

Unfortunately, all four of my hives dies this winter.

I am just going into them (now that the snow has melted for the most part) to clean them out. The bees appeared to have starved to death - all their heads were buried deep into the cells. There was honey and pollen all around them and above them, but because it was so cold for so long, they weren't able to break cluster to move an inch over to get to it. It is so sad (not to mention expensive). I have new bees coming, and because of the deadouts, lots of honey to feed them with to get them on a good start. I also extracted some for myself - it is so good!

One has to look on the bright side of unfortunate happenings.

 

[ronott1]

I think I'd cry if I dropped 51 eggs.

One was cracked and one had a hole in it. They were stacked up in 4 egg cartons, setting in the back of stuffed mini van!

The eggs still hatch fairly well though....the struggle for life is amazing

 

[ronott1]

I would they it but half of my house is allergic to bees so I think it'd be better not to.

While I am not allergic to bee stings, they sure do hurt!

Everyone will react to a bee sting since it is a toxin. Going into anaphylaxis shock is whole different experience...

 

[JennaLynn122]

While I am not allergic to bee stings, they sure do hurt!

Everyone will react to a bee sting since it is a toxin. Going into anaphylaxis shock is whole different experience...

2 maybe 3 of my sons and I are all deathly allergic to them. So probably not a good idea. Lol. I'll stick with the dogs and chickens for now.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Roosting Robin - Check out the bee clubs in your area. Most of them offer Bee Classes. Ours does, and I took it four years ago. And get yourself a bee mentor - our class hooks you up with one. It is really helpful to have someone to talk bees with - the learning curve is tremendous!

Unfortunately, all four of my hives dies this winter.

I am just going into them (now that the snow has melted for the most part) to clean them out. The bees appeared to have starved to death - all their heads were buried deep into the cells. There was honey and pollen all around them and above them, but because it was so cold for so long, they weren't able to break cluster to move an inch over to get to it. It is so sad (not to mention expensive). I have new bees coming, and because of the deadouts, lots of honey to feed them with to get them on a good start. I also extracted some for myself - it is so good!

One has to look on the bright side of unfortunate happenings.

For sure! Not many classes around us, and I do have a beekeeper that I can ask questions, but he's really busy with his business!

Sorry you lost all your hives Kismet!

 

[ozexpat]

I cry if I drop a dozen eating eggs.

My wife took all the eggs I had collected for hatching with pedigree and egg ages and stuck them in the fridge with the rest. I had to start all over. At least the HAL eggs became fresher. But since all my experiments were Kaput, I lost some interest. I just put a couple cartons in the LG for a few days and just moved them to the cabinet turners a few days ago. They'll sink or swim I guess.

Speaking of elevation, I think Oz is about as close to sea level that one can get. I'm just under 600 ft..

my incubator is at 4 feet above sea level at high tide

the green rectangle is where the egg house is located

 

[Happy Chooks]

While I am not allergic to bee stings, they sure do hurt!

Everyone will react to a bee sting since it is a toxin. Going into anaphylaxis shock is whole different experience...

I've been stung once, by my first set of bees. Haven't been stung by this group yet, though I came close yesterday when one got stuck in my hair. I got it out without getting stung!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Does anyone want to see my candling pictures from last night? I also have a video if I can get it to upload.