The Honey Factory

[CindyinSD]

And better yet! I saw a new bee chewing its way out of the cell. That was so cool. It’s a whole bee trapped in the cell! I only had a little hole to look through, but she was twisting and turning in there.

She was hatching, Ralphie!

 

[jerryse]

I aded a brood box to the first hive yesterday . They had not filled all the frames yet so they should be good for awhile . Today I noticed a few bees around the 2 swarm traps going in and out . All day but only a few . Scouts maybe or maybe just curious .

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I know I said I wouldn’t open my hives for a month...

but I did.

My old mentor told me I needed to add another super on the hives, especially the strong one.

So I did, I opened it and pulled one frame and saw it had very little honey, but added another super anyways.

I did not remove the queen excluder or anything. I was in it for maybe two minutes. I did take the wedges out from under the cover. We don’t have any 90+ days forecast now.

He told me we were just starting our heavy honey production time. So I did as I was told.....


In that hive. I opened the weaker hive and saw they had more honey in the super than the strong hive. I removed the super, lifted the excluder, just to see whether that queen was still doing good. I did not see her, but I saw her results. Lots of brood capped and uncapped. I wanted to see an egg. I used my fancy magnifying glass and saw nothing. Just larvae and capped cells.

I bring weak of will, pulled every frame in the top box. No queen. No eggs. I did see a bee capping a cell, she didn’t seem to notice me watching her.

And better yet! I saw a new bee chewing its way out of the cell. That was so cool. It’s a whole bee trapped in the cell! I only had a little hole to look through, but she was twisting and turning in there. Unless it was an adult bee that locked herself into the cell, like painting one’s self into a corner.

The weak hive has a couple of deep supers in the top unit filled with honey 2 sides are almost completely capped. It looks like they are starting to use more of the top frames for honey and less for brood. The inside 4 frames are 80% brood but the corners are being filled with honey. The outside frames have little or no brood in them.

Now I won’t open the hive for a month. I hope.

So strange you say that Ralphie, my mentor told me my first year to check hives every week or two. He said you need to get familiar with beekeeping and your hives so you should be checking them regularly.
I added honey super #2 on yesterday, or rather my husband did quickly with his bee suit on so he could weedeat around the hives.

 

[duluthralphie]

So strange you say that Ralphie, my mentor told me my first year to check hives every week or two. He said you need to get familiar with beekeeping and your hives so you should be checking them regularly.
I added honey super #2 on yesterday, or rather my husband did quickly with his bee suit on so he could weedeat around the hives.

I checked them every 10-14 days to start with, Now I can pretty much see what’s happening by watching them outside the hive.

I should have checked the package bees more often, I might have caught the lazy or dead queen. Right now both queens are doing a great job. I can walk through the field and see they are working.

I see how many are coming and going from the hive.

I have read opening it too often is hard on the bees, as they work hard To maintain a micro climate inside the hive. When I open it. I think I cool it off and let moisture out.

I think of it like opening an incubator too often.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

This is my 8th summer of beekeeping. This spring was the first year I lost all 4 of my hives.
I started with 2 fresh hives the second week in May. My Hygienic Italian hive's name is Clover, and my Saskatraz hive's name is Squatch.
I have a Bee Journal. I write down when I work bees and how things were looking in the hive (eggs, larva, capped brood, queen seen). Sometimes I write down the weather conditions. I write down treatments I use and moth bait recipes. I write down the attitude of the bees too.
I write down how many pounds of honey I get off each year, and what we did to winterize the colonies.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

It was HOT and humid with zero breeze here today ...

I noticed this hive started to beard as I was walking my turkey so I just propped up the cover with a stick for the time being...

One of the ladies started bumping me, so I screamed and ran to the house... but I’ll give them a shim tomorrow

 

[OhZark Biddies]

This is my 8th summer of beekeeping. This spring was the first year I lost all 4 of my hives.
I started with 2 fresh hives the second week in May. My Hygienic Italian hive's name is Clover, and my Saskatraz hive's name is Squatch.
I have a Bee Journal. I write down when I work bees and how things were looking in the hive (eggs, larva, capped brood, queen seen). Sometimes I write down the weather conditions. I write down treatments I use and moth bait recipes. I write down the attitude of the bees too.
I write down how many pounds of honey I get off each year, and what we did to winterize the colonies.
View attachment 2238987
View attachment 2238989

I wish I was better at keeping a journal, I did at one point but got out of the practice... I’m sometimes doing three things when I stop and look in on a hive, so I often have trouble remembering what I did the week before ... so I’m sure it would help a lot

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I wish I was better at keeping a journal, I did at one point but got out of the practice... I’m sometimes doing three things when I stop and look in on a hive, so I often have trouble remembering what I did the week before ... so I’m sure it would help a lot

Their is an online Bee keeping journal too, but I'm better with pens and paper. I took a picture and turned it into my notebook on one of those websites that does that.
I also have a garden/orchard journal to keep track of what & when I planted it and how it produces; and a poultry journal to keep track of my birds I hatched or bought.
I seriously can't remember anything so I have to write everything down...

 

[duluthralphie]

It was HOT and humid with zero breeze here today ...

I noticed this hive started to beard as I was walking my turkey so I just propped up the cover with a stick for the time being...

One of the ladies started bumping me, so I screamed and ran to the house... but I’ll give them a shim tomorrow
View attachment 2239290

You call that a beard?


This is a beard..

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Their is an online Bee keeping journal too, but I'm better with pens and paper. I took a picture and turned it into my notebook on one of those websites that does that.
I also have a garden/orchard journal to keep track of what & when I planted it and how it produces; and a poultry journal to keep track of my birds I hatched or bought.
I seriously can't remember anything so I have to write everything down...

That's what I use my duck thread here on byc for.
I can look back and remember what hatched/sold etc.
Which reminds me I need to update that.