The Honey Factory

[R2elk]

I checked on my bees today, when most of them should have been out gathering nectar for me.

The hive was packed.

I found these and they concern me slightly.
@R2elk

Are these queen cells? View attachment 2136722View attachment 2136725The above one shows the best how much bigger they are
View attachment 2136727View attachment 2136728View attachment 2136730View attachment 2136732View attachment 2136733

I can’t have a hive ready to swarm yet, can I? I have only had them a little over 6 weeks.



Also I have a bunch of bees in my wild plums that have black butts. I know the picture is poor, but they look like black butt honey bees. View attachment 2136744

There were two varieties of bumblebees in the plums and some small bee about the size of a flying ant.

The cells look a little over size but don't really look like queen cells to me. Some kinds of bees are far more likely to swarm than are others. It doesn't take a hive long to feel cramped if there is a major nectar flow on. You need to stay ahead of them and keep adding supers so they don't feel cramped.

I still really don't have anything other than the mustards and dandelions blooming. I forgot, I do have a Russian Almond blooming but it is just a tiny little bush.

None of the plums or cherries have started blooming yet.

On a positive note, something (Blue Jay, maybe) ate the eggs out of the robin's nest. The Bullock's Oriole showed up and has been hitting the suet cake very hard. That and the male Blue Jay and some Grackles caused a Raven to have a very bad morning before they persuaded him to leave. Pics can be seen in the Wyoming Unite!!!! thread.

 

[duluthralphie]

The cells look a little over size but don't really look like queen cells to me. Some kinds of bees are far more likely to swarm than are others. It doesn't take a hive long to feel cramped if there is a major nectar flow on. You need to stay ahead of them and keep adding supers so they don't feel cramped.

I still really don't have anything other than the mustards and dandelions blooming. I forgot, I do have a Russian Almond blooming but it is just a tiny little bush.

None of the plums or cherries have started blooming yet.

On a positive note, something (Blue Jay, maybe) ate the eggs out of the robin's nest. The Bullock's Oriole showed up and has been hitting the suet cake very hard. That and the male Blue Jay and some Grackles caused a Raven to have a very bad morning before they persuaded him to leave. Pics can be seen in the Wyoming Unite!!!! thread.

Cool.

I found out those are drone cells from my mentor.

They are eating like crazy here. The pears are done, wild plum are going crazy now, my apples are a couple days away. Dandelions are everywhere and I have wild strawberries starting to bloom.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

hello all i have bees and was directed to this thread. night yall

 

[CindyinSD]

I have an electric fence around them, because I have bears.

What are you using for electric fence, Ralphie? I'll bet it takes a heluva volt to turn back a bear from honey.

 

[duluthralphie]

What are you using for electric fence, Ralphie? I'll bet it takes a heluva volt to turn back a bear from honey.

Actually it doesn’t take much, Bear hate electric shocks, they move slow and carefully.

If they ran to the honey and weren’t so careful they could break a fence down.

But I do have a pretty good fencer. I think its good for 50 miles of wire, I have it on about 1/2 mile of wire.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

Does anyone on this thread have a technique for raising a small amount of honey bee queens?

 

[CindyinSD]

If I were lucky enough to catch a swarm, do I really have to move it 3 (or was it 5?) miles away from where I caught it, in order for the bees to not get lost because of seeing familiar places? There are several friends in the city who'd probably let me put up swarm traps in their backyards but I don't really want to catch other peoples' bee swarms.

I'd rather catch naturalized bees near here that might have a go at surviving our higher altitude winters. Otherwise I'd just buy them. I don't know anyone who lives far enough away from me in the hills, and the bulk of the land is USFS. Not that they visit it that often, but still... If I hang swarm traps around our place, am I going to have a problem acclimating a swarm to a hive body that's near, but not in the same place as the trap was?

 

[R2elk]

If I were lucky enough to catch a swarm, do I really have to move it 3 (or was it 5?) miles away from where I caught it, in order for the bees to not get lost because of seeing familiar places? There are several friends in the city who'd probably let me put up swarm traps in their backyards but I don't really want to catch other peoples' bee swarms.

I'd rather catch naturalized bees near here that might have a go at surviving our higher altitude winters. Otherwise I'd just buy them. I don't know anyone who lives far enough away from me in the hills, and the bulk of the land is USFS. Not that they visit it that often, but still... If I hang swarm traps around our place, am I going to have a problem acclimating a swarm to a hive body that's near, but not in the same place as the trap was?

As long as you have a way to make sure the queen stays in the hive body, the workers will stay with her.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

If I were lucky enough to catch a swarm, do I really have to move it 3 (or was it 5?) miles away from where I caught it, in order for the bees to not get lost because of seeing familiar places? There are several friends in the city who'd probably let me put up swarm traps in their backyards but I don't really want to catch other peoples' bee swarms.

I'd rather catch naturalized bees near here that might have a go at surviving our higher altitude winters. Otherwise I'd just buy them. I don't know anyone who lives far enough away from me in the hills, and the bulk of the land is USFS. Not that they visit it that often, but still... If I hang swarm traps around our place, am I going to have a problem acclimating a swarm to a hive body that's near, but not in the same place as the trap was?

I believe that the workers haven't had a designated home yet so they will live anywhere. if they have chosen a home yes you would have to move the hive 3 miles away, if you don't want to lose the foragers

 

[karenerwin]

I hived my bees last week. But it has been pretty chilly and or rainy since then. I will say it was very nerve wracking to hive them. I've never done this before, but I got it done and did not get stung!