The Old Folks Home

[drumstick diva]

Okay Deb, is "swarm" a bad thing?

 

[Latestarter]

Yes, a swarm is a very bad thing for the bee keeper... It means the queen (who lays all the eggs) is leaving, along with about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the existing bees to create/establish a new hive somewhere else. So for me as the bee keeper, I lose over 1/2 my hive, have to wait almost a month for the remaining bees to (hopefully) make a new queen and re-start laying eggs, and my chances of any honey harvest have vastly decreased.

My sit isn't one of a potential swarm, but a case of loose frames giving them room to go astray with the comb building... and they just go along merrily making honey comb of all sorts of odd shapes and attached to bad places which means I have to rip apart the comb when removing frames, losing honey and damaging the hive...

 

[Latestarter]

the thing is, the longer you wait, the worse the situation gets, to the point that the entire hive is useless for honey because you can't realistically harvest it without destroying everything in the process. So when this happens, it's best to attempt to correct it sooner rather than later.

 

[Alaskan]

Okay Alaskan,  are you being nice to me because my birthday is next month?  Or is this a feminine side coming out. Hopefully not Bruce Jenner or wait I think it's Caitlynn now.

I am nice to you because you look like ice cream!!!

 

[drumstick diva]

Why thank you Alaskan, I feel a blush coming on. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

 

[perchie.girl]

the thing is, the longer you wait, the worse the situation gets, to the point that the entire hive is useless for honey because you can't realistically harvest it without destroying everything in the process. So when this happens, it's best to attempt to correct it sooner rather than later.

but when you scrape out the excess you can still extract some hone from it as well as the comb.... Honey comb has lots of uses...

deb

 

[drumstick diva]

thank you

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I did get a couple mouthfuls of comb and honey... OMG it is so different/better than store bought!

I had no idea! So THIS is what honey is supposed to taste like!

I sure hope they get their act together as I want some this fall!

Real, early season (light) honey from the hive is such a treat. I'm not a big fan of later season (dark) honey, but that light stuff is beyond describable.

 

[dsqard]

Finally got caught up. I was very busy this weekend but not as busy as SCG. We did get the new roof on the chicken coop (despite DH's "helping") and after contacting 15 different handymen someone called me back and came in to do an estimate to get all of the things fixed in this house. DH made a crack to me about how many "stars" this guy had on his customer ratings, I told him he could take over the search any time he wanted too. He came and looked and was surprised the house is only a little over 5 years old. I would sue the builder just out of spite if I had money to throw away. Anyway, he is supposed to email me the estimate in a few days. Not looking forwards to the bill but I am looking forwards to having the problems fixed. Yesterday I went out and hiked up into the mountains to the west of us. I needed to get out of the house and do something fun.

 

[drumstick diva]

Dsgard, your scenic photos are breathtaking. What incredible views you have every day. Are those birch trees with the white bark?