The Honey Factory

[R2elk]

Beautiful queens! Very interested in how the Golden West queen works out for you.

Thank you. I am also very interested in how well that hive does. I did give them the hive that has always done better than any of my other hives. My conclusion is that it has the best location.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Sat and watched the hives, really working, including the recent split, which I opened up to the wider reducer entrance, up and over the Cedars working the Blueberry Bloom. Want to get a peek inside the split, another 10-12 days at the earliest, happy with what I'm seeing though.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Want to get a peek inside the split

I'm sure they will do great, so gratifying seeing a new queen laying.

 

[Apis mellifera]

All my years of keeping bees this is the first time I ever had a laying two queen colony in the spring. Or at least I've never noticed one before, it's usually in the fall and one is gone by spring. They both looked great, so I split them. Maybe one is a dud, but it certainly didn't look that way.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

THOSE UNGREATFUL WENCHES!
A lot of buzzing high up and it was a swarm, and after all I've done for them. They just balled so I hope a scout likes the bait box with drawn comb and Lemon Grass Oil. Can't retrieve them 'cause they're 30 ft up and I only have a 20ft ladder, the story of my life.

 

[WallyG74]

THOSE UNGREATFUL WENCHES!
A lot of buzzing high up and it was a swarm, and after all I've done for them. They just balled so I hope a scout likes the bait box with drawn comb and Lemon Grass Oil. Can't retrieve them 'cause they're 30 ft up and I only have a 20ft ladder, the story of my life.

Bang on something metal to get them to come down. A guy did it at our place when I was a kid.

Also, I saw a queen get booted out of the hive a couple weeks ago. Good timing, bad timing? I caught her and made a split. The next day she was dead in the cage. I assume I had witnessed the tail end of a supercedure. Phone says I’m spelling it wrong but you know what I mean.

 

[R2elk]

 

[Sally PB]

I did give them the hive that has always done better than any of my other hives. My conclusion is that it has the best location.

What are the differences, can you tell? What makes it the best location?

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Got 'em! The bait box was alive with bees this AM. Now do I combine with the split I made from the same box as the swarm or start another hive? I'll just start another hive, why risk losing a young queen in a fight. Hardest part will be when I tell DW we have another hive. Again I'm going to hear " what happened to just one hive?". This will be #4.

 

[R2elk]

What are the differences, can you tell? What makes it the best location?

This particular hive location has always out produced any of the other hive locations. I suspect it gets more sun and less wind than the other locations. The differences are slight.