The Honey Factory

[TheDandyLion]

It doesnt hurt to put it in your traps. Bees are attracted to it. Put a few drops on the end of a cotton swab and wipe a little on the entrance, then place it on the bottom of the trap. You dont want to overdue it. Old brood comb works best. You can also dissolve propolis in alcohol and wipe some of it on the inside of the trap. Slum gum (the leftovers from rendering wax) is also very good at attracting scouts. Swarm Commander is excellent too.

Thanks. Second year attempt to get a swarm. I have a couple of trees I'm hanging them in.

One more question... frequency to re-set the q-tip? Monthly?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

It's recommended to boil the water for one minute to gas off any chlorine if you have chlorinated water.

I let the whole syrup boil for at least a minute, just to make sure that any random mold-spore or bacteria-cyst is dead before i fill it into glass-cans for storage. And i add a tad of vitamin-c as an anti-oxidant.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So, what do bees do during an eclipse?

It'll be about 94% total here, and I plan to go sit in the field, up on the hill. I have eclipse glasses, and was thinking of taking field glasses to look down on the hive as it gets darker.

The 100% total area is just a three hour drive from here, so i will definitely take a road trip to Ohio if the weather is not an absolute mess on Monday.

 

[Apis mellifera]

One more question... frequency to re-set the q-tip? Monthly?

I would re set about 3 or 4 weeks.

 

[R2elk]

I let the whole syrup boil for at least a minute, just to make sure that any random mold-spore or bacteria-cyst is dead before i fill it into glass-cans for storage. And i add a tad of vitamin-c as an anti-oxidant.

The dechlorination needs to happen before you add the sugar.

 

[Sally PB]

The dechlorination needs to happen before you add the sugar.

Interesting. Why? What happens if it doesn't? Or does chlorine not boil out after the sugar is added?

 

[R2elk]

Interesting. Why? What happens if it doesn't? Or does chlorine not boil out after the sugar is added?

Once you add the sugar the chlorine can combine with the sugar. Also boiling the sugar water can change the chemical form of the sugar. Any candy maker knows this from the different stages from soft drop through hard crack.

I boil the water uncovered for a minute or two, remove the pot from the heat and then add the sugar and stir until dissolved. It is based on the original instructions that I found.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Once you add the sugar the chlorine can combine with the sugar.

In theory the chlorine could in fact react with the sucrose to form sucralose aka. Splenda. However that reaction needs high pressure and some time and the chlorine is gassing out of the water withing a few minutes.

Also boiling the sugar water can change the chemical form of the sugar. Any candy maker knows this from the different stages from soft drop through hard crack.

The hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose is very slow and needs acid as a catalyst. And even if the sucrose is partially split up into its two monosacharides, that's exactly the reaction that happens in the bees stomaches: They split sucrose into fructose and glucose to make honey.
I have boiled the syrup for about two minutes before covering the pot and let it cool down. Then add some ascorbic-acid (Vitamin C) when it was still uncomfortably hot. Imho killing all harmful mold-spores and bacteria-cysts outweighs the effect of having hydrolyzed some sucrose …

I boil the water uncovered for a minute or two, remove the pot from the heat and then add the sugar and stir until dissolved. It is based on the original instructions that I found.

I usually do the same thing, but this time the sugar had turned into a hard brick and i did not want to drop that into a pot full of hot water.

In the end, making syrup for bees - and hummingbirds! - is far away from rocket science.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So, i have installed the packaged bees on Monday. When should i inspect the hive for brood?

 

[Apis mellifera]

So, i have installed the packaged bees on Monday. When should i inspect the hive for brood?

Since you direct released the queen I would think that you will have capped brood by next weekend. You could wait until then or do a quick inspection this weekend for eggs. You dont need to smoke them, just start from the outside frame and move in until you see eggs. Put the frames back and close them up. You can do simple inspections like that once a week.