Category Archives: Beekeeping

Water source for the honey bees

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Every since I started the first colony I’ve been trying hard to see that the bees have a constant supply of water when needed. I’ve put water at numerous locations around the hives but never seen any bees using any of them. I know that with the heat here they must be getting water somewhere–and I’d much prefer that it NOT be someplace where it inconveniences neighbors who might just view them as stinging insects.

Yesterday as I was going through the procedure of lighting my smoker (on my deck) to do my inspection of the hives I noticed bees coming and going right on the deck. There was rainwater standing on the lid of a five-gallon bucket and the bees were getting water from that. It was water that certainly didn’t look potable to me–leaves, and other funky stuff, but there were  lots of them drinking.

I’d read about providing water sources for my bees in a number of places but, apparently, I missed the post from Honey Bee Suite on bees and dirty water. All the water sources that I’ve put out have had gravel or marbles for lots of edges for bees to land on so that they don’t get into deep water and drown–nothing much more depressing to me (well, maybe the RNC) than seeing drowned bees. In spite of my efforts, I’ve not seen bees coming to any of those locations.

I did notice some aggression going on several times while the bees were drinking even though this was a fair distance from the hive. I did note that my ladies of the hive were a bit testier than usual when I did my hive inspection on 19 July 2016, but I was surprised to see it here at the watering hole.

From reading through other posts on Honey Bee Suite, it seems that “dirty” might not be the operative thing here since there are reports of bees frequenting clean water sources but mention was made of bees liking salt pools. Since they were coming to that location I’ve put an additional watering place there as well and added just a bit of salt to see if that pleases them.

I’m not sure what the ladies are telling me–they don’t like city water,  they like rainwater better than city water, or that they like this particular location or something else that I’ve not figured out yet. Although we’re apparently going to have slightly cooler weather (merely in the low 90s) for a few days I’ll be watching as the temperature climbs into the upper 90s to see if the ladies use this water source.

 

Hive report: 14 May 2017

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Honey B HealthyFinally! A warm, sunny day when I can open up the hive and see what’s going on inside. The bees have been in their new home for a month now. The weather has, overall, been more like March than May lately so I’ve not been able to check inside the hive, and I’ve had to give them sugar syrup with Honey B Healthy  (that’s the bee version of a one-a-day vitamin) and feeding stimulant since they don’t forage in cloudy weather or chilly, rainy, or very windy weather.

These girls went into a completely new hive on 14 April 2017 so I was really anxious to see how they are settling in. There was no comb already drawn for them to start storing honey–lots of work for them to do before storing nectar and pollen.

Go girls!

On inspection today I found that they have drawn (built) comb on almost all the frames (only one with no comb on either side, and another comb only on one side) in the brood box–so they have built comb on 6-1/2 frames of the eight so it looks like they are off to a good start. The queen has been doing her queenly stuff–there was lots of brood in the hive.

Since the weather forecast is looking much more like May for the next ten days, I didn’t replace the feeder after the inspection since there should be nectar available now that the weather has improved and they girls can go out to forage instead of staying home and slurping up sugar syrup. (When there is nectar available the bees don’t take sugar syrup even with the Honey B Healthy in it). They like the real stuff when they can get it.

About two hours after I finished the inspection I noticed that there was a lot of activity outside the hive: bees flying around the hive, but not going very away. I suspect I was seeing “new” foragers or field bees coming out for a first flight and getting oriented to hive location

When I finished the inspection–laid eyes on the queen–I added a medium super to give the girls room to start stashing honey and pollen. It looked as if the bees thought they were getting a bit crowded as they were putting pollen into some of the brood areas and building lots of burr comb. Now they don’t have to do that. I’ve given them more room for storing nectar and pollen.

First honey super of the season on the hive!

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Hive report: 27 April 2017

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It was clear and sunny this morning with only a bit of steady breeze, so I lit the smoker and invaded the girls’ living quarters to see how they are settling in.

The colony seems to be doing well–given that I only installed the package on 14 April in an almost-brand-new hive with no drawn combs in the brood box. Added to that we’ve had a series of chilly, rainy days when there could be no foraging.

When I opened the hive today I was happy to see that four of the eight frames have comb either drawn or being drawn on them, and one side of the fifth frame was being drawn. On inspection, I saw eggs, larvae in various stages, and capped brood–all looking like a good laying pattern from this queen. Two of the frames were quite heavy with brood, pollen, and honey. There was a little capped honey, too.

I found the queen on one frame in from the outside on the right.  Some frames on the left of the brood chamber were completely undrawn, so I shifted everything toward the left, and put two of the empty frames on the right so that the brood is now more central in the chamber–I didn’t change the order of any frames with brood on them though–just shifted them toward the left. I sure hope that was an appropriate thing to do. (I suspect that this right sided distribution of drawn frames and brood has something to do with how I replaced frames after removing the shipping box from the hive–I should have split the empty frames–shifting the frame with the queen more toward the center of the hive. But that’s what keeps beekeeping interesting–always learning.

The colony seems quite calm–even while I was removing burr comb that they had constructed between the frame tops and the inner cover (and had filled with “nectar”–I couldn’t help wondering if that “nectar” was the sugar syrup from the bucket feeder that was on the hive. After inspection, I put the bucket feeder back on but if the weather holds, I’ll not refill it–letting the girls get on with foraging for nectar and pollen–or remove it in a couple days if it looks as if they are no longer taking the syrup.

Because I put these girls onto undrawn (but wax coated) frames, I had an entrance excluder in place so that the queen couldn’t get out of the hive–trying to be sure that the new package and queen didn’t abscond. Now that they have brood, I’ll remove that, but I think I’ll leave the entrance reduced for a bit longer until there are more bees in the colony (which shouldn’t be long given the amount of capped brood that I saw today).

For now, all seems well. Long live the (unnamed) queen in hive 2017A!

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Reading about bees…

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On a chilly, grey, drizzly day, what could be better than a good book, a cat, and maybe a big mug of hot cocoa?

If you’d like a glimpse into the bee hive, I’d recommend “Bees Make the Best Pets” for an hour or so of delightful reading. It’s also available for Kindle.  Jack Mingo has a delightful way of describing the events of the hive.

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Please note: I do not have affiliate links with either Amazon or The Regulator Bookshop; I provide the latter as my favorite independent store with excellent customer service for special orders.

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Happiness is…

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.an empty queen cage and busy bees!

Since I installed the package of new bees on Friday, I’ve mostly left them alone other than placing, and replacing feeders. The girls seem to really be slurping up the sugar syrup, and drawing out comb.

I did only enough inspection to see that the queen was out, remove the cage, and watch the queen moving around on the frame.

I’ll open the hive again on Saturday or Sunday to see if I can find eggs on the frames. So far, it looks as if the new colony is off to a good start.

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The bees are home!

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20170414_101643Lots of beekeepers converging on Bailey Bee Supply this morning at the opening time to pick up packages of bees. This was my first time picking up and installing a package–last time around I started with a nuc–so, a new experience for me this year.

I spent yesterday evening reviewing videos and blog posts about how to install a package in the hive. After looking at all the “traditional” methods, I went back to some posts on one of my favorite beekeeping blogs, Honey Bee Suite, about an easier way to do a package install: set the shipping box into the deep from which several frames have been removed and let the bees wander out instead of doing the “shake” method.  Since I’ve switched to deep boxes for my brood chamber, I decided to do the “overnight” installation.

The most difficult part of this was getting the package open–some very serious staples in the cover and the strips that held the boxes together for handling. The real hitch came 20170414_101724when every rubber band that I had in my pocket broke before fitting around the frame. I had to leave the queen cage, briefly, lying on the top of the box, and go get new rubber bands.

Trying to inspect the queen in her cage was interesting. First I shook most of the bees that were clustered on it when I pulled it out of the shipping box and started trying to see the queen. I had just long enough to see a healthy looking bee zipping around in the cage when I had a “glove” (on my ungloved hand) that completely covered the cage as well as my hand. I was looking for marking of yellow, but a friend noted “orange” in a FaceBook post for his package, so I suspect that I just didn’t see the marking on her thorax through all the bees clustering on my hand and the cage.

The queen in her little cage is now rubber-banded to one of the frames, and from the activity,  obviously anxious to get out.  Even though she traveled from Georgia with this little group of bees, it’s still not the time to let her out: the bees will do that by eating through the plug of “candy” at the end of her cage when they both had a little time to settle in.

Several hours later, it looks as if the bees who got out and were flying around the hive are making their way back inside, though they are still exploring.  Because I was putting the girls (and the queen) in a completely, brand new hive, I put an entrance guard on the hive so that the queen cannot leave when she leaves the cage–they girls need to stick around and make this home.

With luck, they will move out of the shipping box this afternoon and tonight. I’ll leave them alone until tomorrow when I’ll remove the shipping box from the hive and put the rest of the frames back in.

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I got so entranced in working with these little creatures that I didn’t realize until writing this that I did that whole procedure without putting on my bee jacket and veil. I think I’ll try to remember that when I go back to check the hive in the morning! I guess maybe the girls are going to be friendly.

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Getting ready for the bees!

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It’s been an absolutely lovely day here. Finally, the wind has died down–for the last few days, I was feeling as if I were back in California with the Santa Ana winds. Frankie, the cat, gets terribly fussy and whinges a lot when it is windy–and he’s done a lot of that the last few days (I do mean whinge–not whine). To the wind, add the spring deluge of pollen–the world is chartreuse as pollen settles on everything, everywhere, coming in through the smallest crack in the window, if you dare open the window. Obviously, not the best conditions to get my woodenware ready for the new package of bees to arrive.

Fortunately, today was lovely–a bit of breeze, not too humid, and just pleasant to be outdoors. So today, finally, I was able to get out the Watco Teak Oil and get my woodenware ready. I was beginning to feel really frustrated because my package (3 pounds) of bees and the queen are due next Friday and I really wanted to get that done so the hive boxes have time to sit and air out (even though I don’t do anything inside the boxes). Now I’m feeling good because I’ve gotten two hives and airing out. Tomorrow promises to be another lovely day for me to “conditioning” the rest of the woodenware for the season.   20170408_170850

I’ve made one change for the coming season since I’ve now had bees for over a year, including one winter, and have had the experience of losing colonies added to that. I feel like I can begin to be opinionated, at least to a degree. I began with all eight-frame, medium boxes–for brood and for honey, and it had a colony overwinter in fine shape, did a split, and had two colonies as of last November–which didn’t make it.  So some experience. As I worked my hives over those months, I decided that I didn’t like the medium for the brood box, so this year, I’ve switched to eight-frame deep boxes for brood (instead of two medium boxes)–even though they will be heavier to lift. I’ll keep using medium boxes for honey supers.

Now, to wait anxiously until 14th April for my package of bees to arrive. That will really tell me that spring is here!

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Holiday gift shopping…2016

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That time of year again! I’ve sworn off malls, and almost any shopping until after the holidays. I find I have zero tolerance for the chaos of parking lots and stores. Somehow those places really dampen any holiday excitement that I do manage to have: folks that can’t manage to allow two-lane traffic in a wide lane, bumps in the butt with shopping carts, and the like. Not to mention the choice of music in so many stores. But if you still need to do some holiday shopping….

  • For the cookbook lover who has an incredible library but is constantly cursing about not being able to find a recipe, a membership to Eat Your Books will let them search those books, as well as magazines, and blogs for recipes. (Membership information here.) It is definitely worth the bit of effort it takes to get you books on you searchable bookshelf.
  • Bull City Olive Oil specializes in fine olive oils, vinegars, and other provisions (shipping is available). If you are local (Durham NC) you can taste before buying. I’d not been a particular fan of infused oils until I tasted some there. The combination of herbes de Provence infused oil and lavender infused balsamic vinegar makes an awesome vinaigrette!
  • Cooks always love herbs and spices–if you don’t want to make the decision on what to give Penzeys will provide a great selection from which to choose. Personally  I love the small jars, especially for things you want to try, but may not use in huge quantities. Although I don’t keep many mixes on hand I wouldn’t  want to be without the herbes de Provence–it’s the jar that I reach for when I am rushed or just can’t decide what to use.
  • Spirits are always welcome gifts. My latest “booze” discovery is from The Brothers Vilgalys Spirits. They produce Krupnikas, Jabberwock, Zapod, Beatnik, and Beebop. I know I’ve mentioned these before, but I think they still make an excellent gift.
  • For someone who wants to learn more about cooking, The Science of Good Cooking presents techniques used in the kitchen with some good recipes; eat well while you learn to understand what goes on in the kitchen. In the same understand-what-you’re-doing vein there’s  Cook’s Science,  Cook’s Illustrated .com, Cook’s Country.com or a subscription to  America’s Test Kitchen membership that can give access to these last three sites.
  • For someone who wants to butter their toast without using cold, hard to spread butter, the Butter Bell crock, or the Emile Henry butter pot, or a plethora of others which work on the principle of using a water seal to keep the butter from air exposure. Caveat: you do have to remember to change the water every couple of days, but it’s a pretty small effort for soft butter. (Unfortunately, I’ll have to mention a solution that doesn’t work although it seems like a nice idea: the Cook’s Innovations Butter Mill. According to reviews some do work–mine didn’t–the fine threads just didn’t catch so the butter moved down to the “grating” surface.)
  • Your toast eater might also appreciate some topping for that buttered toast: varietal honeys from Old Blue Raw Honey–an impressive selection–including poison ivy honey.
  • For the cook who wants to explore using fresh herbs there are seed collections of basic culinary herbs: seed disc collections (complete with pots) from Johnny’s Select Seeds,  or just collections of herb seeds.
  • The potato of the month club from Wood Prairie Family Farm might suit for a “meat and potatoes” person. The variety of potatoes is absolutely amazing–and yes, they do taste different from what we’re used to in the supermarket.
  • For excellent citrus fruits Mixon Fruit Farms can provide luscious fruit shipped right to the door–grapefruit, oranges, lemons, or other. Even the white grapefruit will surprise you.
  • There is always a gift certificate for Kindle books  (or other e-readers) and a Lékué popcorn popper to provide a cozy, relaxing evening. Of all the microwave popcorn poppers I’ve tried this is a hands-down winner.
  • For some exotics like truffle butter, game, kits for making cassoulet, or charcuterie (which you might be invited to share) D’Artagnan can likely provide what you want.
  • Finally, another option for relaxation to go with the book or the Kindle gift certificate, a good cup of tea would add a final touch. Check out what’s available from Harney & Sons provides an incredible variety. One of the things I like so much about getting my tea from them is that for a small charge you can get samples of the teas–enough to brew a pot to really taste the tea. Frankly, I love trying different ones, so I’d be happy with a selection of samples as a gift!

Some other gift suggestions here, here, and here–there may be some redundancy, but some thing appreciated by cooks never change. My redundancy will probably give you an idea of what I’ve had to replace during the year–e.g. Krupnikas!

Disclaimer:  I have neither affiliate connection nor do I receive any consideration from any of the sources suggested above–they’re simply my personal preferences, so you decide. I’m sure that some of the things are available from other sources as well, perhaps less expensively.

Hive report: Sadness

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My beekeeping “career” began 24  July 2015–and it looks as if it’s ending for this year slowly but surely. I’ll not be overwintering bees this year–short of something like a miracle which is almost certainly not going to happen. For a while I had two booming colonies–then found both (apparently) queenless. Even though it was late, I attempted to requeen both colonies.  One didn’t take but on the last inspection of Salvia hive the queen 20161017_124359cage was empty, and we did see some larvae on 16 October and LOTS of bees.

Over the last few days I had noticed that there was not much traffic in and out of the hive, which was rather ominous as the weather was warm enough that I expected to see more.

I opened that hive today and found very few bees, no larvae, eggs, or newly capped brood. That “new” queen was not in the hive. Much to my chagrin, there the “old” queen (blue dot) was trucking around the hive with the few remaining bees–but no eggs, no larvae, and population at a critical level–I’ll be dismantling that hive before long.

I am now a very frustrated beekeeper–I thought I had done a careful, thorough inspection before I introduced the new queen; however, obviously not careful enough. I’m not sure what  should have done to be sure that the “old” queen was really absent from the hive. Had I seen her there with no eggs or brood, I’d (obviously even for my novice state) removed her. Now I can only assume that the new queen that I tried to introduce was killed, though the cage was completely empty of attendants as well as the queen.

It’s definitely been one of those things we call a “learning experience”–but although  I’ll be looking forward to giving it another try in the spring, I’m totally bummed right now! Meanwhile, there is an almost full super of honey on that hive for me to deal with. while I spend the winter considering all the things I’ve learned so far!

 

Hive report: Taking down a hive

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20161017_124359Taking down a hive in the midst of robbing is not fun! I finally got everything except one hive body and two frames in and stored before I became a total wimp. The more I took away, the more the bees buzzed (definitely buzz, not hum) aggressively around what was left there–and the farther they followed me with my load of supers and frames. The followed me all the way back to the screened door of my deck even with the frames shaken and brushed before they were put into a closed plastic bin–The one you see in the photograph.

Despite vigorous shaking, thumping, and brushing I still got a few bees onto the back porch where I was bagging the supers and frames so the doors are closed (and Frankie can’t go out so he is having a bad hair day).

When I finally wussed out about those last frames, no amount of shaking, bumping, or brushing was getting them remotely clear of bees–being the wimp that I am I gave up on that and decided that those could simply stay outside until the bees had cleaned all the honey from them because when I got to the screen door to go inside I realized that I had a LOT of bees on me. Despite all the bees following me, I had to take off the bee suit outside. I did that quickly and dashed inside and closed the screen door on  them.

As I started to write I heard least one honey bee that has been carried into the house buzzing frantically at the office window. (I actually found two.) The old cup-and-paper trick works pretty well. If you’re really persistent you can get more than one bee in the cup at a time. There are still a bunch on the back porch–too many for that trick.

All the supers and frames are now sealed up so that honey bees can’t get to them. so they are congregating in the sunshine on the screen, trying to get out. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to address this issue–except sweep up the dead bees tomorrow–or whenever–since these are not going to be house pets and there are too many to catch and put back outside. There are also honey bees outside the screened back porch trying to get in. I hope those ladies will depart and not come back tomorrow.

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My big mistake on this whole process was sleeping through my alarm–this would have been much easier much earlier while it was cooler very early in the morning. Since I wussed out on those last frames and body, I guess I’ll make sure I don’t oversleep in the morning and finish the job.

There didn’t seem to be much robbing going on at Salvia yet. I have to wonder if those “foreign” bees will switch their attention to Salvia when there is less for them to attend to at what was Rosmarinus. There was no way to get a robbing screen on this morning after my sleep-in–that was another thing I had intended to do. I’ve got the entrance reduced and it is still a strong colony. Fingers crossed–and up much earlier tomorrow morning!