The Wally-Gee Bee Journey 🐝

[Sally PB]

We're going to check today to see if can say we got any honey this year. The plan for the original hive is to take off the super and the QE and put on the feeder box and give them some 2:1. Those girls have done NOTHING in the super, unless they did it all in the last two weeks.

For the new hive, we'll see what they're doing and decide. Last time they had half a frame of capped honey and lots of brood in the super above the QE.

The goldenrod is done, the asters are nearly done.

So far, bees have been a learning experience. And a time and money suck, but most learning has a price tag.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

View attachment 3955935
The last of the Spring honey. I checked hives Saturday and there’s not much to talk about. Very little nectar in the supers so I’m splitting the 2 supers on my Langstroth between the 2 hives. I’m putting the long hive colony back in a traditional Langstroth. They are letting small hive beetles take over while the other hive has got those little turds all in check! They have the beetle barns packed full of beetles and glued shut with propolis. The long hive had zero beetles in the traps. Very disturbing. I’ll get everyone situated and do mite treatments and settled in for the winter.

So cool

 

[Miami Leghorn]

I’ll do it the YT way.

What does it mean they do that Jitterbug?

 

[WallyG74]

What does it mean they do that Jitterbug?

No one really knows. There’s lot of theories. You can google it and decide which one you like the best. Mine do it a lot but some of the northern beekeepers say it’s a rare occasion for them.

 

[WallyG74]

 

[WallyG74]

@The Moonshiner came down and took this pic for me with his old phone

 

[Sally PB]

Our goldenrod is done, sadly. But the girls had a good time while it was around!

Well, no. They worked their little butts off.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

No one really knows. There’s lot of theories. You can google it and decide which one you like the best. Mine do it a lot but some of the northern beekeepers say it’s a rare occasion for them.

I spend a lot of time around our hives here in Jersey and have never seen it, even when we had 20+ hives back in the '80s and '90s. I guess they just don't like to dance.

 

[Sally PB]

I think our bees are confused as to the date. If it were July 1, or August 1, I'd be thinking, Great! You go, girls! But it's October.

The original hive is FINALLY doing something above the QE, storing nectar. So we didn't pull the super. We were prepared to pull the super and QE on the original hive, put on a feeder box, and fill it with 2:1 syrup. I'll check again in a week or so.

The newbees have more nectar up in the super above the QE, and very little brood on a couple of sides of frames. I'll check them to see what's going on in a week or so as well.

Having bees is humbling.

 

[WallyG74]

My 2 colonies from last year are doing great. I have 2 medium supers almost full of honey, not all capped. I added a deep with 9 frame spacers to each colony. That should keep them busy for a while. Those new frames are covered with a nice fresh layer of beeswax that I rendered from last year’s cappings. I haven’t been on much. I’d love get get some updates from you other keepers of the bee.