The Honey Factory

[Clearwater Chicken]

okay. cool, i go into my hive and hopefully can put a super on today

 

[R2elk]

okay. cool, i go into my hive and hopefully can put a super on today

I put supers on well ahead of when they are needed. I have seen what happens (swarms) when the hive gets too crowded because extra supers were not already on the hive.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

I put supers on well ahead of when they are needed. I have seen what happens (swarms) when the hive gets too crowded because extra supers were not already on the hive.

okay, the person who kids showed me around beekeeping said she had put supers on early and the bees acted like their was no space above them even though their was

 

[duluthralphie]

My mentor told me to had supers when 7 of the 10 frames were full.

He also told me I could remove honey frames when they are full, if I want instead of adding supers.


R2elk how do you check on mites or do treatments if you never look inside?


I have not looked in the bottom box since I put the second brood box on.

I have not seen the queen since the second inspection, but I know she is there by the brood.



On another note, the NUC I bought that was suppose to be ready May 10th is finally ready for pick up Saturday. Any advice would be welcome.

What’s your thoughts on the reducer? My old hive is going strong, the new one will be about 25 ft away, I am worried about robbing? Should I use the small or large opening? I doubt there will be enough guards to remove the reducer.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

some strains of bees don't need mite treatments.

 

[duluthralphie]

some strains of bees don't need mite treatments.

I think they are resistant, not 100%. I assume at sometime the mites will evolve to overcome this, albeit a lot slower than bacteria or viruses do.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

they are hygenic, which I think means that they keep the mite population at a low rate not eliminate them. they stop the mites from reproducing by chewing out the larvae in a 3 day window period when the mites are vulnerable

 

[duluthralphie]

they are hygenic, which I think means that they keep the mite population at a low rate not eliminate them. they stop the mites from reproducing by chewing out the larvae in a 3 day window period when the mites are vulnerable

Cool. Mite eating bees.


I have read about them, I wonder what strains they are.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

yep, and I want those bees to not have to treat my hives with miticides. I am getting a queen of them to requeen my current hive and then I will raise my own queens from her, for they only need 50% of the genes to exhibit the behavior

 

[R2elk]

R2elk how do you check on mites or do treatments if you never look inside?

I don't. I buy mite resistant bees and/or queens. I am relatively isolated and have never noticed a problem.

What’s your thoughts on the reducer? My old hive is going strong, the new one will be about 25 ft away, I am worried about robbing? Should I use the small or large opening? I doubt there will be enough guards to remove the reducer.

I use the small opening whenever I add a package of bees to a hive for at least the first two weeks. I then switch to the larger opening and once the hive is doing good and the weather is warm and I have stopped providing syrup, I switch to a mouse guard.