The Honey Factory

[5Australorpasaures]

What does this do?

Newbie question, sorry.

Queen was in the top deep running out of laying room, reversing puts her in the bottom. As they like to work up gives her room to move into the next super for more egg laying room as I only run 2 deeps for brood rearing. Above the 2 deeps I run medium boxes where they tend to store extra honey and pollen. Helps to keep the hive from getting honey bound in the brood area during a flow. I also use an excluder to keep her out of the honey boxes. In the Fall I remove the excluder so they can move the cluster up into their food stores as needed.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Table For Rocky, your table is ready. These look like Kits that are starting out exploring on their own, eventually going their own way. Chicken coop and run are 5 yrds to the right.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I saw a honeybee at my oregano today! Prior to this the only ones I’d seen were a few years ago, and dead.

 

[Apis mellifera]

I saw a honeybee at my oregano today! Prior to this the only ones I’d seen were a few years ago, and dead.

Put up a swarm trap early next spring.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Put up a swarm trap early next spring.

Unfortunately I don’t have a place to put a hive presently as I don’t think the HOA would be happy if I did that. But I will keep that in mind in case I ever get a proper plot of land for my own.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The musty, locker room odor started emitting from the hives today. The fall flow has begun! Seems I pulled the summer honey just in time.

 

[Sally PB]

Two weeks ago, we found nothing in the super of one hive. Still nothing, as of yesterday, in that hive. By nothing, I mean empty, drawn comb and empty bare frames. Very few bees up there at all.

Two weeks ago, the other hive had uncapped brood in the super. Now
there is capped brood in the super, and in the brood box below. Nothing in the way of honey.

Are they going full on with brood in anticipation of fall/winter? Maybe in anticipation of the goldenrod? It's just about to bloom; a few flowers are open here and there.

Really, really want to get some honey this year...

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Golden Rod is coming on here and the bees are in a full blown frenzy. I was going to leave the stores for them but now I'm thinking of pulling the mediums. Still leaving the deep for them, just going to see how it goes.

 

[WallyG74]

Golden Rod is coming on here and the bees are in a full blown frenzy. I was going to leave the stores for them but now I'm thinking of pulling the mediums. Still leaving the deep for them, just going to see how it goes.

I’m excited for the goldenrod flow as well. The bees have been collecting a lot of pollen from crepe myrtles. I hope they are finding at least some nectar until the goldenrod kicks in.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You don't have Joe Pye weed or loosestrife? That's what the bees were on, Joe Pye is ending. Knapweed is starting but we don't have much of that. Again, I can't tell if they wait for Joe Pye to end then move to goldenrod or if they are waiting for a certain variety to bloom. Have had blooming goldenrod since the third week of July. The unmistakable odor of it curing started today, three weeks later.