tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13356815991153113562024-03-13T14:17:22.703-04:00Waxing Moon HoneyPhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-29424847679539504552011-07-04T13:15:00.008-04:002011-07-08T04:02:12.066-04:00The End of My Naked Bee Keeping Lifestyle.As many of you know from the pictures I keep very close to the bees when I tend them relying on a minimal amount of safety equipment. Unless I am installing a package, I usually only wear my vail and break out the gloves when I am unsure what kind of trouble I may get into moving frames. I have always believed in the gentle nature of the bees and not being covered in bulky equipment allowed me to judge the temperament of the hive as well as be mindful of all the bees present in order to avoid the estimated average 200 accidental kills during a hive check.<br /><br />In the past three years as a keeper I have about 19 stings to my credit. About 4 of those have been on my head at various times when I wasn't officially doing a hive check, just poking around near the hive, most of the stings happened on my fingers and arms during hive checks.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This is my very first sting in 2009.<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLijtyT4WCwVRWMdXIP0n5ixNfWsTAr8E88HIu_c2QQykhhgLny4xhgGItHIb1rMBbMPdsoH13yzwc_3Qxk2mF_fRz_io-g86gqSJD9-xSEC0YHSXNs3dHjbhbptuLwXDJMCFqpYAjjYE/s1600/Bees2009+006b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLijtyT4WCwVRWMdXIP0n5ixNfWsTAr8E88HIu_c2QQykhhgLny4xhgGItHIb1rMBbMPdsoH13yzwc_3Qxk2mF_fRz_io-g86gqSJD9-xSEC0YHSXNs3dHjbhbptuLwXDJMCFqpYAjjYE/s400/Bees2009+006b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626855778582600290" border="0" /></a><br />I never considered myself allergic to bee stings. Like typical stings there was swelling around the entry point and a little discomfort nothing more. The stories of the old time beekeepers told me that having your body exposed to the bee venom allows you to build up better antibodies against it, a little bit of <span class="st">the theory of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunotherapy#Allergies">immunotherapy</a>, if you are exposed to trace amounts you eventually develop a tolerance to that which may affect you. How many times have you been told about if you have problem with pollen allergies eat a regiment of local honey to help alleviate them? It is the same principal idea.<br /><br />Smoke as you may know is the beekeepers friend it sends the bees into a panic mode as they go looking for honey stores to gorge on just in case they need to evacuate the hive. It also disrupts the communication pheromones that would send them into defense mode. </span><span class="st">By the sheer number of bees on the outside of the hive, I knew B2.1 was in a desperate need of another super they were over crowded and hot.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70hjuH4LdLSWQkCXUSMT1XAcxBKUN9E96GCwWLSNhQAqHPZgzWGc8Y1f6PNGyJF7ah65iRqslUUE_eRVaqrEXPUkbWVC6fNY99rMbxwJcxYkYGq3lz80_L74lb3F0MTbkSpmsgIplfPY/s1600/P1020585r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70hjuH4LdLSWQkCXUSMT1XAcxBKUN9E96GCwWLSNhQAqHPZgzWGc8Y1f6PNGyJF7ah65iRqslUUE_eRVaqrEXPUkbWVC6fNY99rMbxwJcxYkYGq3lz80_L74lb3F0MTbkSpmsgIplfPY/s400/P1020585r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626853992691656338" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="st">There is a reason why bee keepers work from the back or side of the hive, you stay away from the entrance where the majority of the bees are. </span><span class="st">Yesterday when the bees were smoked they spread out all over the outside of the hive instead of heading inside. This was not an ideal situation since I no longer had a safe side to work from.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxLsAp-E4VK4D7o8K1VXQQXE-e-kl16gYrzJSBGSdDgq7wWYEogWThBw9QBlEArDmnkLwLaiR1YhNsWtw7l7F_qCEpsgHi-hyXaioq6ZkLkVBt1gljEwfrKrv3t7nYEFBtaVAjjd5cG0/s1600/P1020616r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxLsAp-E4VK4D7o8K1VXQQXE-e-kl16gYrzJSBGSdDgq7wWYEogWThBw9QBlEArDmnkLwLaiR1YhNsWtw7l7F_qCEpsgHi-hyXaioq6ZkLkVBt1gljEwfrKrv3t7nYEFBtaVAjjd5cG0/s400/P1020616r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626853991619122578" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="st">I went forward with my work being more mindful of my surrounding and </span><span class="st">successfully added that 3rd super, with communication disrupted by the smoke it would would take a little while for all of the bees to find their way back into the hive and into their new addition.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvwv_r5TxermavWQDdcuojB2uKjJ4-wmJ4CmzjrzKX1qOhk5SJ8VfawMyLQRUPHzFIvUMSlC8ltfPXTDo0-tTJqcjoveN87f2MLce93mkw_dDHtTkTyLw61Yb4IzwuF2ZFFbG9snyQOk/s1600/P1020626r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvwv_r5TxermavWQDdcuojB2uKjJ4-wmJ4CmzjrzKX1qOhk5SJ8VfawMyLQRUPHzFIvUMSlC8ltfPXTDo0-tTJqcjoveN87f2MLce93mkw_dDHtTkTyLw61Yb4IzwuF2ZFFbG9snyQOk/s400/P1020626r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626857538272221346" border="0" /></a><br />While closing up of the hive I didn't want to crush any of the bees so I was brushing the bees off the top cover and that was when I received a sting near my watch band on my left arm. It hurt like you would expect it to, I got the stinger out and smoked the area of the sting to hide the “attack here” pheromone that I had been tagged with. I finished up my hive duties outside put away my bee keeping supplies and came inside to wash up. It had been about 15 minutes since the sting, and it was then I noticed the rash going up my arm.<br /><span class="st"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st">The sting location.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTZAN2HbfFypgzhOuzJlFNMfbtMU4wiZEwG2OFIUnkm_SK7eAg_3Mun0BDkWA-wBC7Xn4EIyFoQ3ponJM6kStKkWiRf_ZwunwKQ3wcUG5g43xsovWbvwfYosoLsTGsQfClq6ML5s4Dyg/s1600/Bees+016r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTZAN2HbfFypgzhOuzJlFNMfbtMU4wiZEwG2OFIUnkm_SK7eAg_3Mun0BDkWA-wBC7Xn4EIyFoQ3ponJM6kStKkWiRf_ZwunwKQ3wcUG5g43xsovWbvwfYosoLsTGsQfClq6ML5s4Dyg/s400/Bees+016r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626855781600738306" border="0" /></a><br />The rash up to my armpit.<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi7OyXyvzh4VzjZQBHYsLZghGOXjDKvcQj1DYX3BD5fgGrC8_O3FcCJD0k60kC9bmGR7PuHaMGzt7-LMFRqMLFcu9N9flaCALo92YIgbDKKr0cp9JPYy9YFXuLfJyhCmyujJ2xdQOJRY/s1600/Bees+015r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi7OyXyvzh4VzjZQBHYsLZghGOXjDKvcQj1DYX3BD5fgGrC8_O3FcCJD0k60kC9bmGR7PuHaMGzt7-LMFRqMLFcu9N9flaCALo92YIgbDKKr0cp9JPYy9YFXuLfJyhCmyujJ2xdQOJRY/s400/Bees+015r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626855876119040914" border="0" /></a>I was uncomfortable, but still feeling alright, thought a shower and some rest on the bed in the cool room might help. Knowing this wasn't a normal reaction, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17875545889129578783">my wife</a> decided to look up bee sting info while I was in the shower on the <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bee-stings/DS01067/DSECTION=symptoms">Mayo Clinic site</a> and seeing the following:<br /><ul><li>Skin reactions in parts of the body other than the sting area, including hives and itching and flushed or pale skin (almost always present with anaphylaxis)</li><li>Difficulty breathing</li><li>Nausea, vomiting<br /></li><li>Dizziness or fainting</li></ul>Although only the 1st one was really present and the other three were minor, she decided I probably should go visit our local non-emergency care facility, which we did. A shot of steroids there and another 12 day prescription for more, I left with a scolding from the doctor for not using our epi pen when the reaction started, and the knowledge I may now have developed an allergy to bee stings.<br /><br />I am now left with new tasks to undertake- (a) Finding out if I may be a candidate for real doctor prescribed <span class="st"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunotherapy#Allergies">immunotherapy</a>. </span> (b) Finding more needed safety equipment to begin a new journey as a beekeeper who is allergic to bees, which basically leaves me no other choice, but to do as Barney Stinson would say: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT_vf5ioXXk">“Suit Up!”</a>.<br /><br />Feeling much better than I did a day ago, for now I'll suffer the "Popeye arm" taunts of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17875545889129578783">my wife</a> who very happily decorated it with the obligatory sailor anchor.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfK2CvTOWUH5X8Met0aKtLmh1DBVgmw6TutREM_qYlc8LzzOC3d8KKyNzs-AF8Jb9XlzrSQu7Yrnl2HyDNZO885_QRExPGT3IhU5qNSKW8B3YsFkThpklebbPLRP8M0Xkh3sMtdVfx3g/s1600/Bees+022r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfK2CvTOWUH5X8Met0aKtLmh1DBVgmw6TutREM_qYlc8LzzOC3d8KKyNzs-AF8Jb9XlzrSQu7Yrnl2HyDNZO885_QRExPGT3IhU5qNSKW8B3YsFkThpklebbPLRP8M0Xkh3sMtdVfx3g/s400/Bees+022r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626855786752957586" border="0" /></a><span class="st"><br /></span>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-47902047252135991532011-05-21T17:45:00.004-04:002011-06-26T23:32:17.117-04:00Just Swarmy!Early today my neighbor greeted me with the news that I had a swarm of bees in my tree that I had missed by an hour. I looked over at the tree where she told me they were and sure enough the tell tale signs of crumpled leaves coated with bits of wax.<br /><br />I pondered for a moment if they were mine since earlier this year I observed a feral colony in a hollow tree in another neighbor’s yard . I returned from running errands just after 5pm and was greeted by a mass of black airborne insects as I was pulling into my driveway. Wiki <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarming_%28honey_bee%29">here</a> has a picture of almost exactly what I saw. I knew they were mine this time.<br /><br />A little about swarms: Swarms happen when the hive feels as if they have no more room for growth. The lead up signs to the swarm include “swarm cells” which are peanut like cells hanging on the bottom of the frame. I did witness something that could have been interpreted as swarm cells in my last hive check, but I ignored them because they were in the top super and not in the lowest one like the textbook says they should be. Then again my saga since the last hive check is something else.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeKCA6yBYSQLiO4HLzAPDI6TjysZqwPMHpPXwWpYnleb3kFhEVvBFR33-y-pH0NEQngolUipS84hWHu4wicbElWEIiOlmPzwhn1uVPN8ig2LrYU7QtzIfIoUmnBtDdCbJCgti5Klfk-k/s1600/Bees1000c.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeKCA6yBYSQLiO4HLzAPDI6TjysZqwPMHpPXwWpYnleb3kFhEVvBFR33-y-pH0NEQngolUipS84hWHu4wicbElWEIiOlmPzwhn1uVPN8ig2LrYU7QtzIfIoUmnBtDdCbJCgti5Klfk-k/s400/Bees1000c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611886768928227842" border="0" /></a>The swarm in relation to my hives. (B 2.1 on the left and Club Fergie on the right.)<br /></div><br />Short story long, we were about to head out for the evening, a swarm project was not something I could get started with. By mid morning the next day I expected them to be gone.<br /><br />I had a moment where I felt sad they had swarmed and there was nothing I could do about it, but then I relized that I got into beekeeping not for the honey, but to help the bees and it brought me some solace knowing that my bees were helping to repopulate the local area.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-40042847979242407372011-05-19T20:25:00.005-04:002011-05-28T21:03:01.226-04:00Animal Terrorist or Catastrophic Failure?Today, I looked over and saw a light colored mass under the hive. I walked over thinking it was a plastic bag or something only to find out it was raw comb.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt6cxNC37yHoG_a2be33VLJnu2QWX_rDY-4RMBH3iaB3V1hR8Xq16FbGndLF8uwZVxzMIZ1u-aF_94_ORlamEl1kI-OMDNL9iV5WwArNgUDbLik9smVtd6-Hja_JFdLZAj7Bqmu2U8Rc/s1600/Bees+982c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt6cxNC37yHoG_a2be33VLJnu2QWX_rDY-4RMBH3iaB3V1hR8Xq16FbGndLF8uwZVxzMIZ1u-aF_94_ORlamEl1kI-OMDNL9iV5WwArNgUDbLik9smVtd6-Hja_JFdLZAj7Bqmu2U8Rc/s400/Bees+982c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611925130983241634" border="0" /></a>Since we don't have any bears in the area... wait there was <a href="http://www.nbc12.com/story/10389972/black-bear-captured-in-petersburg-neighborhood?redirected=true">that one</a>... seriously if it were a bear it would have knocked over the whole hive not just go for the low hanging fruit. Then again it could have just been the building of comb on the screen bottom board and one section got too heavy and pulled the others down with it. Most likely it was the work of a skunk who are naturally immune to bee stings.<br /><br />WAIT! Back up! Why is there that much comb under the hive anyway? It had been 9 days and while the issues of the rear returning foragers hadn't stopped the only solution I could come up with was closing up the back of the hive. I however was afraid that this might encourage that space to be used as a super so I left it alone. Little did I know that is exactly what had been happening. In this picture you can see that they were actually raising brood in that comb. My only solution now is that the mass of bees under the hive was a swarm that didn't get too far.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VPnMaItfc0uKDuPVQugYmEC5Ibib4EgT5j8pLXdjOoFJ341GPCKsYH4t_grtIjGFG9WPfIensMcPas8HOy0PtnR3dWuR-FhvUg2Jk-3fPjOw7g6rBRmuWiNTQ1so2IoPNKQuRXAjwpc/s1600/Bees+986c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VPnMaItfc0uKDuPVQugYmEC5Ibib4EgT5j8pLXdjOoFJ341GPCKsYH4t_grtIjGFG9WPfIensMcPas8HOy0PtnR3dWuR-FhvUg2Jk-3fPjOw7g6rBRmuWiNTQ1so2IoPNKQuRXAjwpc/s400/Bees+986c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611925137615964466" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Knowing that if it wasn't an animal who caused this comb to fall, it was now just an open invitation of them sitting there. I set out retrieving the pieces using a coat hanger and the kitchen tongs. As you can see there was quite a haul for 9 days work. That is a 15" x 10" baking pan it is on.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcUagUlXnB3pk9bXlRZS8NfZSSdnlsqUgLQSgyvn_k8DVKSM0vkeWWA6gfkAMORVYH0RxMuchlGEsR_PtuEtiswiGY7GmZtdtN_fmr-eCr1Cu77kBS6Jpb0qq3BijHtQtzUPBNP_qUcQ/s1600/Bees+988c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcUagUlXnB3pk9bXlRZS8NfZSSdnlsqUgLQSgyvn_k8DVKSM0vkeWWA6gfkAMORVYH0RxMuchlGEsR_PtuEtiswiGY7GmZtdtN_fmr-eCr1Cu77kBS6Jpb0qq3BijHtQtzUPBNP_qUcQ/s400/Bees+988c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611925133812513314" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>In the process of collecting the comb I freed a few bees that were trapped in the gooey wax/nectar and returned them to the area near the hive. I am hoping they will clean each other off and be able to fly again. In return one of the girls gave me the sting of my life as I inadvertently trapped her further between my finger and the comb.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClx-76qFzinPzL-uXmebAihuG9AnyWjS8IXgVug2-ijVhvSq5YYmfiVH8ymYX-1Yrbf_CGdREk33cPOFEfKfjW299Txzr-dffyU9xp7rRDkCUqKtfZvnOmxSUXqA6tOptYvcGTjHFnF8/s1600/Bees+984c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClx-76qFzinPzL-uXmebAihuG9AnyWjS8IXgVug2-ijVhvSq5YYmfiVH8ymYX-1Yrbf_CGdREk33cPOFEfKfjW299Txzr-dffyU9xp7rRDkCUqKtfZvnOmxSUXqA6tOptYvcGTjHFnF8/s400/Bees+984c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611925136100281922" border="0" /></a></div>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-73052548047061786782011-05-10T13:30:00.002-04:002011-05-28T19:59:54.502-04:00What the Bee?Yesterday we did a hive check on B2.1 and removed the Queen cage, I added my Ross Round Super to Club Fergie and pulled a frame of honey. Just a quick check and run. Noticed what appeared to be swarm cells on the bottom bar of a couple of frames in the top super. Could they be swarm cells? The cell placement on the frame is correct, but the location in the hive is incorrect being in the top super rather than near the entrance.<br /><br />One odd thing I noticed was that foragers were returning to the rear of the hive in the space for my screened bottom board. It was odd to see that but then I thought maybe the dance floor at the front was crowded so they had began using the screen under the hive to transfer nectar to the house bees. I changed the entrance space to a larger opening to give them more room to return hoping that would help with traffic.<br /><br />Today I looked in on them and there appears to be just as many foragers returning to the rear of the hive as to the front. I wanted to know what it looked like under the hive so I took this picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam5gkClrH214cVD857cFENcUkeToFE-t7kKxvRCkHWFim8TN9UyjGsVr56WEqOqbA73ywBJxmyfjnRTw2Tcb_fbrYZowRgxzdqyl-2o96mylttcc2eq9SKLYt9B_pKVfCNQWOCMgMdXQ/s1600/Bees+972c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam5gkClrH214cVD857cFENcUkeToFE-t7kKxvRCkHWFim8TN9UyjGsVr56WEqOqbA73ywBJxmyfjnRTw2Tcb_fbrYZowRgxzdqyl-2o96mylttcc2eq9SKLYt9B_pKVfCNQWOCMgMdXQ/s400/Bees+972c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611917768123720786" border="0" /></a>Not what I expected to see. I was expecting maybe a a few hundred bees but mostly the screen bottom. Instead my pictures revealed a large mass of bees that may be a swam that didn't get too far. If they are all foragers they will either return home or age will catch up to them.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-45612150088071627372011-04-16T23:08:00.009-04:002011-04-18T12:40:34.359-04:00Welcome B2.1“B2” unfortunately did not make it through the winter as you may already know.<br /><br />“Club Fergie” made it through another winter and is going strong. As I observe the foragers daily about every 4th one is returning with pollen. Pollen is a wonderful sign as it means they are feeding larva. Spring is a time for a population explosion to replace the fall and winter dead as well as get the hive ready for the spring nectar flow. More bees in Spring = More Honey in the Summer. When I checked on them a month ago they already had larva and capped brood a great sign of a healthy hive in mid-March in Central Virginia.<br /><br />Today <a href="http://happyhomemaking365.blogspot.com/">my wife</a> and I made what is becoming for me an annual trek down to <a href="http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/">Brushy Mountain Bee Farm</a> in North Carolina to get a package of bees. I was hoping to expand a hive into my in-laws backyard this year but with B2's passing this package is now going to be used as a replacement. Someday I will attempt to make my own <a href="http://beekeeping.wikia.com/wiki/Nuc">nucs</a>, so I can get out of the bee buying business, but until that time Brushy Mountain will continue to be my source.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZHZbVMxRB-noRoAZJnbQ3dDKmpiM6pwPGNq87YDYPkJf9pu82328vJk01e4DP8W4sUcwC56ONi9V_XmvQlUVl2Jp88nI8psJiQ-zZaMbSyJrWx20yFkCoH-tCIEtoryOieX2XEbHF9I/s1600/Bees+001c.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZHZbVMxRB-noRoAZJnbQ3dDKmpiM6pwPGNq87YDYPkJf9pu82328vJk01e4DP8W4sUcwC56ONi9V_XmvQlUVl2Jp88nI8psJiQ-zZaMbSyJrWx20yFkCoH-tCIEtoryOieX2XEbHF9I/s400/Bees+001c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596394179465217698" border="0" /></a>At Brushy Mountain with my new package of bees.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The werepanda spoke to them in werepanda language, a silent little language the bees can understand.<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">“Foragers come and foragers go,<br /></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"> Swarms come and swarms go,<br /> Soon you will have a hive to call your home.”<br /></div></div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu0w2uBXoVJoOVyjTNNxwv2thkpIiaH8KOzqGt2kDeonGJs_KWE1S4O8A6qS2gJTRZxW7TamPa6x3Ec74ds4yirylU2jRKhEa7UiLOTKbXV8_xYmXrbTw-dFDtajYBOhYDDlcdues5mQ/s1600/Bees+002c.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu0w2uBXoVJoOVyjTNNxwv2thkpIiaH8KOzqGt2kDeonGJs_KWE1S4O8A6qS2gJTRZxW7TamPa6x3Ec74ds4yirylU2jRKhEa7UiLOTKbXV8_xYmXrbTw-dFDtajYBOhYDDlcdues5mQ/s400/Bees+002c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596394183507999266" border="0" /></a>All day we had been fighting with storms while we were traveling, at one point where we had stopped for lunch, a tornado had recently gone through a few miles away. This was the sight that greeted as we pulled off the highway back home. Perhaps this is a good luck sign for B2.1 in hopes that their hive be full of golden honey this year.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-2283326546276228752010-05-06T22:30:00.003-04:002010-05-07T22:38:59.814-04:00Bees at NightEvery so often I get asked, “So, what do bees do at night?”<br /><br />The answer is simple they go home. Being that it has been much warmer the last few days, I have been finding a large number of bees hanging out at the front of the hive. I talked about the reasons for this in another post over <a href="http://waxingmoonhoney.blogspot.com/2010/04/cluster-of-bees.html">here</a>. One can really see the strength of a hive at this time of day because all the foragers are back from the field.<br /><br />First up <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=157645&id=826018463&l=c7e003e6b1">“B2”</a>, it has been almost 4 weeks since the package was installed. That means that this hive could possibly be seeing the first of its new bees hatching. This could account for the small mass at the front entrance. The entrance reducer is still set for the small opening because you can see I am still feeding them. They aren't taking it very quickly, which suggests that there is plenty of better option around the neighborhood for them to feed on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB1xdlnilswHmZEnbzRlzjJ_-qbtluZTiW-IcIsxKhXJmkSvOTJZsFf7GsUuF18FAm5yr5xXswpOyOrutw2idJrKhPjQ1MxpHRpwwBVNSPk88qDaULUyRGNSdWhLnWBNEUm0G7TgIjCM/s1600/050610a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB1xdlnilswHmZEnbzRlzjJ_-qbtluZTiW-IcIsxKhXJmkSvOTJZsFf7GsUuF18FAm5yr5xXswpOyOrutw2idJrKhPjQ1MxpHRpwwBVNSPk88qDaULUyRGNSdWhLnWBNEUm0G7TgIjCM/s400/050610a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468709892402420818" border="0" /></a>Next is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75094&id=826018463&l=362524a1af">“Club Fergie”</a> in the <a href="http://waxingmoonhoney.blogspot.com/2010/04/cluster-of-bees.html">link</a> from above it shows what the entrance looked like a month ago at the start up of the Spring hatching season. Now a month later you see what a population explosion there has been. I was planning on moving the entrance reducer up to the next size, but the 10 day forecast shows it is going to be back in the 40sºF at night starting this weekend so I will probably wait another week for that. I am not worried about opening the entrance up because all they have in their feeder right now is plain water to help them with cooling the hive when it gets too hot. Plain Water, is not really the thing that encourages robbing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99pLQVots6f_mms7gsXqWH1QtFwtvlEtxHO2esJTYsCzHzP5J5opBTox1MxZviFw_tm5BdYUCBJDWE7HRYF__j-U1nYC8czBje6bGo4n3Y1rlyDELgwGNKzXulWFf7JHj9Sc8_QZCYm0/s1600/050610b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99pLQVots6f_mms7gsXqWH1QtFwtvlEtxHO2esJTYsCzHzP5J5opBTox1MxZviFw_tm5BdYUCBJDWE7HRYF__j-U1nYC8czBje6bGo4n3Y1rlyDELgwGNKzXulWFf7JHj9Sc8_QZCYm0/s400/050610b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468709884826459362" border="0" /></a>This picture demonstrates that the perfect time to do a hive check is not at night. For one, bees don't fly at night very well because there is no sun to orientate them however, they are excellent crawlers which added to the complete hive population being home makes this an equation for a sting disaster to happen.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-3732817846395018012010-04-26T19:30:00.029-04:002010-04-30T00:22:30.505-04:00The Queen is Alive, Long Live the Queen!All week I have been reading up on emergency supersedure in the hive, but you can see that all is right in B2 today. After opening the hive, I was too busy looking for the supersedure cell from last week that I missed Queen Bingo on the first pass. My <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17875545889129578783">expert photographer</a> noticed that she didn't have her “retinue” of workers around her which is something I usually look for, she was also busy darting about.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhOzwmtPQXXjtpD5dAV82yHOCRUasd97OqVrV5XjTbSkbxDrJk0f7bSYn4em1UxCAk_tw8moJngFLt6TyMP6Y6b3D-2Zy3VFpnjpqlGFVueGQmD2wMOVEaAwr69hchoCBowZG7tuQ-nE/s1600/042610n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhOzwmtPQXXjtpD5dAV82yHOCRUasd97OqVrV5XjTbSkbxDrJk0f7bSYn4em1UxCAk_tw8moJngFLt6TyMP6Y6b3D-2Zy3VFpnjpqlGFVueGQmD2wMOVEaAwr69hchoCBowZG7tuQ-nE/s320/042610n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465229889541882850" border="0" /></a>The blue making tell the age of the queen. Blue is recognized as the standard for years that end in 5 or 0. Yes, a healthy productive queen can live up to 5 years in the best conditions.<br /><br />Now that the Queen drama is over, let me walk you through the hive check<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8aclR1SNGCFKemgNxC0GVmJ-iZmagT6bb8r6kXq91yK1PuHFlD0sWJYs9R8NGMhUxTMgn8vsc9ZdCNl3RykkbJwJN2IsDZcQxTOnIo2NEpFp_AVI85LeLdfw78U_4bJXwpOI8eys9qY/s1600/042610a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8aclR1SNGCFKemgNxC0GVmJ-iZmagT6bb8r6kXq91yK1PuHFlD0sWJYs9R8NGMhUxTMgn8vsc9ZdCNl3RykkbJwJN2IsDZcQxTOnIo2NEpFp_AVI85LeLdfw78U_4bJXwpOI8eys9qY/s320/042610a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465229856252775618" border="0" /></a>Smoking the entrance, smoke calms the bees because it disrupts communication, and sends them into a feeding frenzy. They may take in as much as 3 days worth of food during this time, just in case they need to abandon the hive for a new home if a real emergency is happening.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ImeDPK7IhsG68h6bafNi9B4k9JIOJXsEva2opJHOztJdK6G-8z-uagH6OdW0v4AMpARvvYMJ3lsCdkSZ3JvU7tzn7SB2ighLxHgngk4jsaxMhDxT8t6Y9zeczIqbTHv6-DkD2rY6mhY/s1600/042610c.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ImeDPK7IhsG68h6bafNi9B4k9JIOJXsEva2opJHOztJdK6G-8z-uagH6OdW0v4AMpARvvYMJ3lsCdkSZ3JvU7tzn7SB2ighLxHgngk4jsaxMhDxT8t6Y9zeczIqbTHv6-DkD2rY6mhY/s320/042610c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228673517440562" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia119qpYikczxbVS7sXQndWRbYFxt0H1wc6ogqn5KMZX_vzGWXEOIBNKZRFBxjZ_cHrvMSPhoqvQgGzSyhHD2dLbV9FsdfQK8t0k-zEINQ8lAFKvyUqInOcXsXvHM0hVn52MwLSbM7-k/s1600/042610d.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia119qpYikczxbVS7sXQndWRbYFxt0H1wc6ogqn5KMZX_vzGWXEOIBNKZRFBxjZ_cHrvMSPhoqvQgGzSyhHD2dLbV9FsdfQK8t0k-zEINQ8lAFKvyUqInOcXsXvHM0hVn52MwLSbM7-k/s320/042610d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228675166215826" border="0" /></a><br />Lifting out the frame for inspection. There was a noticeable difference in the temperament of the bees this week. A sign that the colony is "queen right".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFX-XQiOizCLXAAI_e__G-jNU67y57bxu-PTLDaC2x67W0N_ISQ8yaiE9T9ZZhUg5bTdKtYM6IN0LPpqXHzteJMsveraABpgXBpWxV_c6yi9-lKj99jxcpXpSzgbJp_1CEzDXo76Owoc/s1600/042610f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFX-XQiOizCLXAAI_e__G-jNU67y57bxu-PTLDaC2x67W0N_ISQ8yaiE9T9ZZhUg5bTdKtYM6IN0LPpqXHzteJMsveraABpgXBpWxV_c6yi9-lKj99jxcpXpSzgbJp_1CEzDXo76Owoc/s320/042610f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228329835979570" border="0" /></a>Capped brood and some larva. I really didn't expect to see much this week. I was taken back when I saw this much, because when I opened the hive I was just checking in to make sure the supersedure cell from last week was still ok. I was concentrating on what would have caused this much brood, before I found out the queen was just fine. Based on the number of eggs she produced in the last week I think she is doing just fine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdK4n6sz8Q2Cus_mezqX2RiAV5njStry7Zu6vS2jlDD6mhUCihQCLDaP7pzHPyExNLzgcnJ6SQKnKHF8d7-bt8_n1b2WKFfrs-0QFvgd_oVhzeXJifgXyvKiwUCFzSqkSfG2v1oXpchQ/s1600/042610g.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdK4n6sz8Q2Cus_mezqX2RiAV5njStry7Zu6vS2jlDD6mhUCihQCLDaP7pzHPyExNLzgcnJ6SQKnKHF8d7-bt8_n1b2WKFfrs-0QFvgd_oVhzeXJifgXyvKiwUCFzSqkSfG2v1oXpchQ/s320/042610g.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228339088850898" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zCM_BD4jObCbupwwlAIaf4dpkmk2liYjvZg4v1wwYfjB24XmtOIzTzRk5zVe1UzKZPUxgDa8jMoQIHT8ZQKkAh4NDEwqVIAts4vI9qq9QXlVjgm1wq1xXNXMSxYJ1dkObx231T4U8o0/s1600/042610k.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zCM_BD4jObCbupwwlAIaf4dpkmk2liYjvZg4v1wwYfjB24XmtOIzTzRk5zVe1UzKZPUxgDa8jMoQIHT8ZQKkAh4NDEwqVIAts4vI9qq9QXlVjgm1wq1xXNXMSxYJ1dkObx231T4U8o0/s320/042610k.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465229863285202050" border="0" /></a><br />An example for illustration of queen cell placement and the signal it gives a beekeeper. Both examples are only hypothetical neither situation is currently happening in the hive.<br /><br />On the top, the large cell would be where a supersedure cell would be in the middle of the frame. This signals to the beekeeper that there is a problem with the queen and the hive is doing something about it.<br /><br />On the bottom, shows where a swarm cell would be. This signals that the hive is over crowded and that 1/2 or more of the hive is getting ready to leave for a new home. In both cases if a keeper is mostly interested in honey production this would be a sign that the yield will be greatly diminished this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU5TyEBL5Up5xSrOdpJr7Qywbq9w428vXOiXBc3phnMwAdI8Em8qzOiMGeQ8hKrsX9FDXUboGdTZB5YboVhyphenhyphenPsVRL_TI0o6sticev5BZE_VL1EmIfAGDyAnnrrnyKEtCBJlvEKFSLpVk/s1600/042610i.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU5TyEBL5Up5xSrOdpJr7Qywbq9w428vXOiXBc3phnMwAdI8Em8qzOiMGeQ8hKrsX9FDXUboGdTZB5YboVhyphenhyphenPsVRL_TI0o6sticev5BZE_VL1EmIfAGDyAnnrrnyKEtCBJlvEKFSLpVk/s320/042610i.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228346551448146" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeghFYv7Bt2ZldeNOiXDiuFUE8ZHDtsDmrwr8DGVhyte_CA6YDHgBlACLZLobFS4ulnyQJiTtvBiby-73JxZV8FGO2dKruj1BcJvJSCB-1qgnmn0RchwLEF7K4e0p9xLgxFMXwonYKAc/s1600/042610j.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeghFYv7Bt2ZldeNOiXDiuFUE8ZHDtsDmrwr8DGVhyte_CA6YDHgBlACLZLobFS4ulnyQJiTtvBiby-73JxZV8FGO2dKruj1BcJvJSCB-1qgnmn0RchwLEF7K4e0p9xLgxFMXwonYKAc/s320/042610j.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228352274004978" border="0" /></a><br />I borrowed some frames from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75094&id=826018463&l=362524a1af">“Club Fergie”</a> as I mentioned in another post. The picture on the top shows how dark the comb has become in a years time. Every time a new cycle of bees hatch, the cells get polished with propolis which causes the darkening. The picture on the bottom shows the band of pollen that is usually stored above the new brood on a frame. The larva are fed a mixture of pollen and nectar called "bee bread" from days 3-9 before they are capped for the remaining 12 days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KxgJXSFzq6HatZspZkFTgZYqT0eMEPcXihYAj01ufNGSTrAisanDtlUoh0Sh2VF6T1SYoFX0wPuJJx1AK5xgVQxTQ4aGUufmLedtEMHizjg08VpBaTllZArFElfSM3pnIbf38wMOoS8/s1600/042610l.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KxgJXSFzq6HatZspZkFTgZYqT0eMEPcXihYAj01ufNGSTrAisanDtlUoh0Sh2VF6T1SYoFX0wPuJJx1AK5xgVQxTQ4aGUufmLedtEMHizjg08VpBaTllZArFElfSM3pnIbf38wMOoS8/s320/042610l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465229867554074130" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyG6kLKFoZfveoORBZVlzqXmKxD-ouGWdBmjU6w90Vi04hrHpnkg2x2qZOc6SO8yb_9i3TCBTbrAQshKrHrxy1r1QxZ7L3pk_Jog-keOZV_QEFO0VOz6rwTa91TCJj-BhnL33NdwdW08/s1600/042610m.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyG6kLKFoZfveoORBZVlzqXmKxD-ouGWdBmjU6w90Vi04hrHpnkg2x2qZOc6SO8yb_9i3TCBTbrAQshKrHrxy1r1QxZ7L3pk_Jog-keOZV_QEFO0VOz6rwTa91TCJj-BhnL33NdwdW08/s320/042610m.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465229874368936562" border="0" /></a><br />This big ugly cluster of capped brood are drone cells. A drone is larger than a worker, this is the reason why they have larger cells that are prominent next to worker cells.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVga0lsaOWrtA2qgnHNIeIPcQVQJ08UC4KOn2z6bN04h5joRg3Di5TUuU5CeRwWIAJaUuhUAIXAvmo05rowsWJ2YVl3Skq-jtmR4Te668VwdflL8DJkHGIfskOXuG3hUvcttMnKFUCto/s1600/042610h.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVga0lsaOWrtA2qgnHNIeIPcQVQJ08UC4KOn2z6bN04h5joRg3Di5TUuU5CeRwWIAJaUuhUAIXAvmo05rowsWJ2YVl3Skq-jtmR4Te668VwdflL8DJkHGIfskOXuG3hUvcttMnKFUCto/s320/042610h.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228341054713202" border="0" /></a><br />At the center of the picture is what a drone in comparison to a worker looks like. A couple of things to remember about drones. They are much noisier in flight and may startle you if you see this large noisy bee flying at you, but remember a drone doesn't have a stinger so the only thing it can do is annoy you.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GgvFzqjTO1pYIuhsZTPNYp9Twte8SIAJdoTp_2DSLev7d59oAohnsMnLRzbYDCMsDIjibrEhdNV2MGbHoztQ4WDXJnI7hIXgoprmNK0wPgiE6cIAelCKBnSsu9MAHevQm5HElmpQANc/s1600/042610e.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GgvFzqjTO1pYIuhsZTPNYp9Twte8SIAJdoTp_2DSLev7d59oAohnsMnLRzbYDCMsDIjibrEhdNV2MGbHoztQ4WDXJnI7hIXgoprmNK0wPgiE6cIAelCKBnSsu9MAHevQm5HElmpQANc/s320/042610e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465228690532245250" border="0" /></a>Because of last week, I believed the hive wasn't “queen right” when I went out today. Not knowing how their temperament would be I brought along my frame grip to assist in keeping my hand just a little further away from the bees.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvO_skY1RMiwb4e8yu4sHg6-XEHebWsVuPoDxAVkzrPWmsqrRosQtbhjv5Oeg5NywkF3_KNTsTFtOAsJ4ncK6tVnRJhcdA8OPU14MZ0XiMkZiRvwwF-BbJDIjJfOYcPXXwBll2jK6vGk/s1600/042610o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvO_skY1RMiwb4e8yu4sHg6-XEHebWsVuPoDxAVkzrPWmsqrRosQtbhjv5Oeg5NywkF3_KNTsTFtOAsJ4ncK6tVnRJhcdA8OPU14MZ0XiMkZiRvwwF-BbJDIjJfOYcPXXwBll2jK6vGk/s320/042610o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465230556652135522" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0XbcWVMnIaSLs8LKmMNw8nZMRJrq3pkwDG2lsITkpUr0gW1Pmva2-ghQeUl4eenFD8DK9eU7shRxp3dgW3QkxcdUeIFgDkOAJtToYHoxeKmxLCRLXLFnOOImN5hEDJRkqwu29pQUg2s/s1600/042610p.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0XbcWVMnIaSLs8LKmMNw8nZMRJrq3pkwDG2lsITkpUr0gW1Pmva2-ghQeUl4eenFD8DK9eU7shRxp3dgW3QkxcdUeIFgDkOAJtToYHoxeKmxLCRLXLFnOOImN5hEDJRkqwu29pQUg2s/s320/042610p.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465230567722180130" border="0" /></a><br />Here is me playing with the frame grip. Since I was putting another super on the hive I needed to add a frame that the bees were already working to the new super in order to signal to them that it was alright for them to move upstairs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeRD4jjhmKhhjAn8At8Ls1xS8Cr8MZ6kTGGoAFy-dQ6fKSCUJvcB4Zv5KcF5Wjmt5rDS30HNgLre83GYMVlTfcpgvLrWpz5BzNCpURr9RmpxLPTLNducTLrW5_eWiZxD4g7HbPwyFLsM/s1600/042610q.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeRD4jjhmKhhjAn8At8Ls1xS8Cr8MZ6kTGGoAFy-dQ6fKSCUJvcB4Zv5KcF5Wjmt5rDS30HNgLre83GYMVlTfcpgvLrWpz5BzNCpURr9RmpxLPTLNducTLrW5_eWiZxD4g7HbPwyFLsM/s320/042610q.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465230569702121506" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGWmMXHzHZmI3E8BJYZBa57LVB7oYUGjE-6np78s0FpRhpj0iajRVKp45xbxLzHCCpv1JDzccjLXxltpuSWW5w5P0lhU7tF39toWXLW1gTJZjx9vPWNwpYCPWTWjrgWvt7OQQ5nDiXNA/s1600/042610r.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGWmMXHzHZmI3E8BJYZBa57LVB7oYUGjE-6np78s0FpRhpj0iajRVKp45xbxLzHCCpv1JDzccjLXxltpuSWW5w5P0lhU7tF39toWXLW1gTJZjx9vPWNwpYCPWTWjrgWvt7OQQ5nDiXNA/s320/042610r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465230575800827458" border="0" /></a><br />Here is the next level going on. You can see now why I have begun to date mark the frames. You see that even with a simple hive manipulation one can quickly loose track of which frames were added when.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqJL7b5VpXuhvvM-ZVR6-KkfNsupndwh0Njganr8_GMqKGxhlUfsWjZOw9wXQUZQj_gJIJC-lIWbbqgyKRtGdGL-8Nwl7wyQQjxsgjA2joFh3ON8rfNx6yeTXHWd5ASoHRITNH_hNGNA/s1600/042610s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqJL7b5VpXuhvvM-ZVR6-KkfNsupndwh0Njganr8_GMqKGxhlUfsWjZOw9wXQUZQj_gJIJC-lIWbbqgyKRtGdGL-8Nwl7wyQQjxsgjA2joFh3ON8rfNx6yeTXHWd5ASoHRITNH_hNGNA/s320/042610s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465230580213225554" border="0" /></a>Finally B2 is back together, a healthy queen right colony that is getting stronger everyday under the watchful eye of <a href="http://waxingmoonhoney.blogspot.com/2010/04/tomten-visit.html">the tomten</a>, with a new level added. I will check them one more time next week, then they will be on their own for a few weeks.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-57895162593152039042010-04-20T17:30:00.009-04:002010-04-21T20:25:35.867-04:00B2: Bad Bee NewsI have been putting off checking B2 the last few days because it has been cooler and breezy. Today was calm so even-though my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17875545889129578783">excellent photographer</a> wasn't here to document it all I still had to do it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcMK7nN1hCmiQw5eyoFBZHtIMlv7AJ7insHfL2gCOfWX1nnr69mlyEds0SX6eq3dukRhvEmsjiSwYDE1Jr_k0B2nSJxiduByU6MW8g2ZtrdTl-G3RHr42s4I2WFNHNiBfKhOIgtWpV5c/s1600/042010a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcMK7nN1hCmiQw5eyoFBZHtIMlv7AJ7insHfL2gCOfWX1nnr69mlyEds0SX6eq3dukRhvEmsjiSwYDE1Jr_k0B2nSJxiduByU6MW8g2ZtrdTl-G3RHr42s4I2WFNHNiBfKhOIgtWpV5c/s320/042010a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462743025220480562" border="0" /></a>So far so good some activity at the entrance, pollen being gathered.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHTjuPAmA6FYsMMFkAAZ4TVWqbPBsna5Ligh5YmeucubqcYRf1WlkmJyRPMCe6WKWnVhMKINJIz6CdpWEsSDSUmYvBtqCVEpOLZBpUG1Cgvm5zesDek9kZ6NfPJWmSAGt-vGG8xoUUfE/s1600/042010b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHTjuPAmA6FYsMMFkAAZ4TVWqbPBsna5Ligh5YmeucubqcYRf1WlkmJyRPMCe6WKWnVhMKINJIz6CdpWEsSDSUmYvBtqCVEpOLZBpUG1Cgvm5zesDek9kZ6NfPJWmSAGt-vGG8xoUUfE/s320/042010b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462743029014161186" border="0" /></a>Under the hive cover not much activity around the inner cover.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gQTeqAvgjPCncMUxYsqIASsXPvYjRU-4pfNkEVwgXsmvvgkEa1HtDUXp5jliFkw1KxlRYKm6_YiRmsdWTPKOi2wZByEvl0J-0-0pDUWiMSWQAxE-S88MzOgJU2GXfK5kI5pHeTqupmI/s1600/042010c.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gQTeqAvgjPCncMUxYsqIASsXPvYjRU-4pfNkEVwgXsmvvgkEa1HtDUXp5jliFkw1KxlRYKm6_YiRmsdWTPKOi2wZByEvl0J-0-0pDUWiMSWQAxE-S88MzOgJU2GXfK5kI5pHeTqupmI/s320/042010c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462743033896034050" border="0" /></a>Looking better, I see some new drawn comb. Bees working.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAU4iB-4853epkKX1kHjMqupJbVlV0LtYsYWDqOPxoQURBdQXIlhQkxMqJysUljx9NPgldvypqOOFOXDXQq4GThNDdRLCoooyiHLgxqgH7QET_gu-fm6h6Z54TbyQbxA4xx27HbOE9aWY/s1600/042010d.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAU4iB-4853epkKX1kHjMqupJbVlV0LtYsYWDqOPxoQURBdQXIlhQkxMqJysUljx9NPgldvypqOOFOXDXQq4GThNDdRLCoooyiHLgxqgH7QET_gu-fm6h6Z54TbyQbxA4xx27HbOE9aWY/s320/042010d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462743035858123074" border="0" /></a>Oh No! Where is the rubber band? Did the cage fall? Sinking feeling<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATp6mUEwBtLGNO7Iw1JZ-p8-mbPEVAE5FrksbD1bzi-r1N9Dx2MdrNX3kxTAU54Dxn4WrFWTzI9t0Hl_rRCj-KnpF__DS-Q2VTsW-DfjCBDPF1Z73FqIQzeWpg36OMHIAcj16L83pXwg/s1600/042010e.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATp6mUEwBtLGNO7Iw1JZ-p8-mbPEVAE5FrksbD1bzi-r1N9Dx2MdrNX3kxTAU54Dxn4WrFWTzI9t0Hl_rRCj-KnpF__DS-Q2VTsW-DfjCBDPF1Z73FqIQzeWpg36OMHIAcj16L83pXwg/s320/042010e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462743041338170402" border="0" /></a>Cage is still in place. Queen has been released, but where is she?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsR47J4I1Fv3g2KIG18uGdDljPzVRZfQOWihecdR0oLdKzw84IsamGH8HqNyZU6s0EO3cpIlvNNiNOKj0_vO8yy-QK-C7zhMV1gAnOC1xkD_uxxltt4JEKgeSAAaAGrUNYkBYZVwSVct0/s1600/042010f.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsR47J4I1Fv3g2KIG18uGdDljPzVRZfQOWihecdR0oLdKzw84IsamGH8HqNyZU6s0EO3cpIlvNNiNOKj0_vO8yy-QK-C7zhMV1gAnOC1xkD_uxxltt4JEKgeSAAaAGrUNYkBYZVwSVct0/s320/042010f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462743127951792178" border="0" /></a>Bad news on the bee front, the big waxy cell on the side of the frame is called a “Supersede Cell.” Looks like supersede procedures have begun and Queen Bingo was nowhere to be found. Looks like she is either gone for good or not the Queen the hive needs her to be.<br /><br />Today I only saw a handful of eggs and less than 10 larva. Hopefully the queen was here as recently as 3 days ago. Will do thorough hive check on the weekend to see the status of the queen, even if I missed her, the fact that the hive started with making the cell tells me she was either rejected by them or in poor health. It is good that they had some eggs in order to go into emergency mode, I just hope the eggs I saw are actually fertile eggs and not the byproduct of a laying worker. An egg produced by a worker is infertile and can only become a drone.<br /><br />Now putting these photos together I have this sinking feeling that when the bees chewed through the rubber band, when it snapped could it be possible that it killed the queen or injured her? I may never find out, but I do know next time around I am going to play it safe and move to twine or florist wire just in case that is what caused this current situation.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-32115743267968633112010-04-16T12:45:00.007-04:002010-05-17T13:44:46.491-04:00The Tomten VisitThere is a book that my wife really enjoys called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnKtAbNqElU">“The Tomten”</a> by <a href="http://www.pippisworld.com/tomten.php">Astrid Lindgren</a>. She likes to have me read it to her as she falls asleep. In the last few months I have been adding an additional visit by the Tomten to the farm’s beehives.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1RFQLgrNCFI1YOWuISVAX0MzNwuvN5HRXEZwroMtJ5AtTQFjVhe6ZpPpSdj_iTtT8w9ld-DNg7dzgGZVy7900SDxnf2M_UAudt9l0HfNwfxJzzDrjKg5CduIlBnJh23FrFT2mcMrlvs/s1600/041610.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1RFQLgrNCFI1YOWuISVAX0MzNwuvN5HRXEZwroMtJ5AtTQFjVhe6ZpPpSdj_iTtT8w9ld-DNg7dzgGZVy7900SDxnf2M_UAudt9l0HfNwfxJzzDrjKg5CduIlBnJh23FrFT2mcMrlvs/s400/041610.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462241482823196050" border="0" /></a>The Tomten stopped by the beehive to refill the entrance feeder. The Tomten talks to them in tomten language, a silent little language the bees can understand.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">“Springs come and springs go,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Nectar come and nectar go,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Soon you won't be needing this feeder.”</span><br /><br /><br /></div>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-1310123998440428372010-04-10T19:30:00.008-04:002010-04-21T19:28:49.471-04:00Sharing my Knowledge<a href="http://houseofbees.wordpress.com/">Melissa</a>, as I have previously mentioned, made the trip with me down to <a href="http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/">Brushy Mountain Bee Farm</a> to pick up bees. This year is her first year in beekeeping. <span class="vi"> Although I had read 3 books on the subject attended meetings with the <a href="http://www.richmondbeekeepers.org/rba/index.html">Richmond Beekeepers</a>, watch a video of an installation, as well as witnessed a live installation demonstration, </span>I still remember my feelings of <span class="vi">doubt as I first touched a package of bees. </span>What made it easier for me when I arrived home was that I had the support of my wife to assist me in the new venture. Melissa’s husband fully supports her new venture, he however has a very real fear of bees. Knowing this I decided to be available for her during her installation just in case those feelings of doubt surfaced. I only offered a couple of words, but she didn't need my help at all. Her confidence during installation shows she will be a successful beekeeper. Here are a few pictures of Melissa with her new hive on Day 1.<br /><span class="vi"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkOZy_rsfBHwyYqkoP_Y8588_coLtTyy_NwhxzpFS4KosFOPnJaZ5tfaCG8WkzyNBXV8C3bZhTOKRJyqMboISHCQo0r1dIFobdiE7WySCA7fW4zGV677TcAvaC1G1QpUVlzW21y6DV-s/s1600/MR_Package+001a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkOZy_rsfBHwyYqkoP_Y8588_coLtTyy_NwhxzpFS4KosFOPnJaZ5tfaCG8WkzyNBXV8C3bZhTOKRJyqMboISHCQo0r1dIFobdiE7WySCA7fW4zGV677TcAvaC1G1QpUVlzW21y6DV-s/s400/MR_Package+001a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459608655963678210" border="0" /></a>Misting down the package with sugar water, this not only makes the bees sticky and temporarily makes them unable to fly. Having 10-12,000 bees this isn't perfect odds to get every one, but it allows you to be able to deal with a couple hundred instead of a couple thousand.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTetCuJ814glsywAYCd3jBPzFkGQPe8R8fe3kJlp3jLc7kUCpUGJUBzOeza1FPNd1kuyfhPfMsDQ2nif1j9lM4yrVpsoqIdw7q0Ee2BDvWrlGaJTCKns3jxPIrvdmxSZy_2WLjud7nvSQ/s1600/MR_Package+002a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTetCuJ814glsywAYCd3jBPzFkGQPe8R8fe3kJlp3jLc7kUCpUGJUBzOeza1FPNd1kuyfhPfMsDQ2nif1j9lM4yrVpsoqIdw7q0Ee2BDvWrlGaJTCKns3jxPIrvdmxSZy_2WLjud7nvSQ/s400/MR_Package+002a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459608668914753986" border="0" /></a>Removing the shipping lid, under this is where the travel feeder is as well as the cage containing the queen. Both are removed before the introduction happens.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8GB4Srz4Nhht35lrzKaNJcwO9hwQn2ALVD9jTrgbKKefGLt1oeoaRE8R569rgTHANkKNs6UtnGgwtheIte9LOXlX-rB0CS3iax_0z-ArN3GL3xc9RTEhptUFqU583Rtml8ilQgFzOLI/s1600/MR_Package+007a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8GB4Srz4Nhht35lrzKaNJcwO9hwQn2ALVD9jTrgbKKefGLt1oeoaRE8R569rgTHANkKNs6UtnGgwtheIte9LOXlX-rB0CS3iax_0z-ArN3GL3xc9RTEhptUFqU583Rtml8ilQgFzOLI/s400/MR_Package+007a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459608676498412834" border="0" /></a>“The Dump” The moment when the majority of the bees with quickly learn where their new home is. Imagine if almost all of those bees weren't sticky with sugar water. The queen cage had been transferred to the frame in the very middle right below where the mass of bees are being dumped.<br /><span class="vi"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIYEZfo5EsiaY6IvxzN9DkYmb-E6t06Po3d24iOlnMhjld-uMXxPE3I73VP-6NnXxoiFVeP1PolZCocKV0ihyphenhyphen4PSGB2PeAxFCgRDBRJAKRdQylqcX5m-qWt9mVZ34fJVIWeQi_u4zVNY/s1600/MR_Package+008a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIYEZfo5EsiaY6IvxzN9DkYmb-E6t06Po3d24iOlnMhjld-uMXxPE3I73VP-6NnXxoiFVeP1PolZCocKV0ihyphenhyphen4PSGB2PeAxFCgRDBRJAKRdQylqcX5m-qWt9mVZ34fJVIWeQi_u4zVNY/s400/MR_Package+008a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459608690202991906" border="0" /></a>Last, here is her new hive ready to go. The package was placed in front of the hive to allow any ones that were left behind the ability to quickly find their way to the hive entrance as soon as the hive sets up some scenter who will use their pheromones to send out a signal to any lost bee in the area the way back yo the hive. As you see, right now the hive only has one level so that it controls the growth of the hive to fill the brood box before adding a second. Having one level also makes it easier for it to defend itself against pests as well as maintain the correct temperature. In this area of Virginia our average last frost date is still a couple of weeks away so being able to cluster on those colder nights is very important to the well being of this new hive.<br /><br />To read what Melissa had to say about the installation go visit her <a href="http://houseofbees.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/bee-pick-up/">here</a>.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-31374230799914245792010-04-10T17:30:00.001-04:002010-04-28T22:59:40.792-04:00Brushy Mountain Package Pick-UpB2-day had arrived. My package of bees for the new hive was ordered back on February 3 and now was time to go an pick them up. Mady had decided that she wasn't up for the trip this year so it was <a href="http://houseofbees.wordpress.com/">Melissa</a>, a new beekeeper, and myself making the trip. We left my house around 6:15AM and arrived at <a href="http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/">Brushy Mountain Bee Farm</a> a little after 10AM a distance of about 250 miles.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias3KoPfaA2O5D7nr8LUYBkpmRIwO9KgKykvsmFNbjXSVGho1HSseiiDFIBp3rBspjQi-PuTSz8Ne3XyU7-bcER9Z2b40yAQQEPjUURKlNaISvSS9XFZDR5yCkkzrdL2N8YutlL1qQVjE/s1600/41010f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias3KoPfaA2O5D7nr8LUYBkpmRIwO9KgKykvsmFNbjXSVGho1HSseiiDFIBp3rBspjQi-PuTSz8Ne3XyU7-bcER9Z2b40yAQQEPjUURKlNaISvSS9XFZDR5yCkkzrdL2N8YutlL1qQVjE/s400/41010f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459279001586473314" border="0" /></a>The entrance and a customary photo op.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddba6zJlsVN28AA7aOqWgnNZRuBHnk7uCqPKcKLNVJYYyN6Dgjj04idiYZtHJN9o7CSBEmF8ehyphenhyphenXbFvSlGO8yb8R82-HIy7nbjzzVtxa9b_tbs238fg9K5WqNU1V4oto6v2ygGjFjoiY/s1600/41010a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddba6zJlsVN28AA7aOqWgnNZRuBHnk7uCqPKcKLNVJYYyN6Dgjj04idiYZtHJN9o7CSBEmF8ehyphenhyphenXbFvSlGO8yb8R82-HIy7nbjzzVtxa9b_tbs238fg9K5WqNU1V4oto6v2ygGjFjoiY/s400/41010a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459278363211068882" border="0" /></a>Here is a line of beehives that <a href="http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/">Brushy Mountain Bee Farm</a> keeps. One of the nice things that Brushy Mountain does is that they do a package installation demo. This is a wonderful opportunity to finally see first hand what so many new beekeepers read about as they are starting out. I know last year what a great confidence builder it was for me to experience so I made sure that <a href="http://houseofbees.wordpress.com/">Melissa</a> had a chance to see it also.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2OLP49UyJ2cd8ThMmoxJRIEGXmoT2oeWd8-yldE6WFddHJNv79YWKxwd4mJnW9Z6S4qFBSSKacNzXe8rfoL6XO7c3tZtoiuGYrD46n_G7CsK-yPD4-EfRtktDSDfGVqINHw3IblXV4Q/s1600/41010b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2OLP49UyJ2cd8ThMmoxJRIEGXmoT2oeWd8-yldE6WFddHJNv79YWKxwd4mJnW9Z6S4qFBSSKacNzXe8rfoL6XO7c3tZtoiuGYrD46n_G7CsK-yPD4-EfRtktDSDfGVqINHw3IblXV4Q/s400/41010b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459278376496777218" border="0" /></a><a href="http://houseofbees.wordpress.com/">Melissa</a> enjoying the package installation demo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ0XWGTGyT5HvJKYXlywucwrAGC_XHI-XcJ9Cr6OuL9zpECHorv7HidKCbLbFaLZHDFkA0sXYkt3Km8WBeV7iIOgKYb4lNVN2nxAM6_6GtPpbmod24tmLw4yZ9xKpa2gqwAMzYix5nkA/s1600/41010c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ0XWGTGyT5HvJKYXlywucwrAGC_XHI-XcJ9Cr6OuL9zpECHorv7HidKCbLbFaLZHDFkA0sXYkt3Km8WBeV7iIOgKYb4lNVN2nxAM6_6GtPpbmod24tmLw4yZ9xKpa2gqwAMzYix5nkA/s400/41010c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459278379652904450" border="0" /></a>After taking the time to look around the scratch and dent store, and the main retail store it was time to get our packages. Here is a picture of the stacks of bees awaiting their new hive homes with different beekeepers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUpvKlNndXb4C_FlMYx9DsqxzRRncT693bGFu4hU4y5a9WlAkTwMfoYZWD4fz716TQ_JPaapcpL4L-oImC-n03vOTJMdnAO2zYNv2ddmuXi4rdBFH-1eztb-bJ6v4T1H8yvs7CgE5Igc/s1600/41010d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUpvKlNndXb4C_FlMYx9DsqxzRRncT693bGFu4hU4y5a9WlAkTwMfoYZWD4fz716TQ_JPaapcpL4L-oImC-n03vOTJMdnAO2zYNv2ddmuXi4rdBFH-1eztb-bJ6v4T1H8yvs7CgE5Igc/s400/41010d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459278388564808562" border="0" /></a>Stack of packages. One thing to remember is that although there is 10-12,000 bees included in these packages, they are only temporary, the most important thing you are getting here is the queen. Unfortunately, with the life span of a worker bee, these bees will be dead in 3-6 weeks replaced by the new bees of the queen will produce once she begins laying when she is released in a few days.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2-ocrzHZpAR18eSih7yGTfpcTBk5GGlvHh3Bv-zbzX3bPzJo5-psc0FlLXYHPbQNqxZbQxtfHVuM-WFIJLbzG8CkTFwmzzM8ynRwHr2BV6FFMcSgMHD3xB2VptpoaMJYqcs-8XmZ9tU/s1600/41010e.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2-ocrzHZpAR18eSih7yGTfpcTBk5GGlvHh3Bv-zbzX3bPzJo5-psc0FlLXYHPbQNqxZbQxtfHVuM-WFIJLbzG8CkTFwmzzM8ynRwHr2BV6FFMcSgMHD3xB2VptpoaMJYqcs-8XmZ9tU/s400/41010e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459278398261287170" border="0" /></a>Me with my new package ready for “B2” when I get home.<br /></div>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-66253704212407204082010-04-09T23:00:00.004-04:002010-04-21T19:23:33.920-04:00The making of “Bee Tea”B2-day is upon us. I get my new package tomorrow. However, before I am off to bed I needed to get ready by making up a batch of “Bee Tea.” This is an alternative to the “Bee Juice” mentioned in most beekeeping material which is just a 1:1 sugar water.<br /><br />In the early stages of a new hive, one needs to provide the hive with nourishment. I made up some “Bee Tea” tonight which is 1 cup pure cane sugar : 1 cup weak chamomile tea and adding a couple of generous pinches of sea salt (helps digestion) and a couple of pinches of ground thyme (added nutrients). "Bee Tea" is a way to help build the bees immune system naturally.*<br /><br />*I have Ross Conrad from <a href="http://www.dancingbeegardens.com/Home_Page.html">Dancing Bee Gardens</a> to thank for this tip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuj3rjjQhCa0Tx00auE5l875jkbd4bVo9egfrRqG54pWmf_A5GHIcqGZDgmz4fIjuX-v0PBttolyascCtTmIb4dyOW7vAmO77EskyZ_S6B_Q0AjFqMt64wEQo3sEtwvWk3YDlTXLk3td8/s1600/beetea.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuj3rjjQhCa0Tx00auE5l875jkbd4bVo9egfrRqG54pWmf_A5GHIcqGZDgmz4fIjuX-v0PBttolyascCtTmIb4dyOW7vAmO77EskyZ_S6B_Q0AjFqMt64wEQo3sEtwvWk3YDlTXLk3td8/s400/beetea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459269296825832322" border="0" /></a>The gallon jug holds 10 cups each of tea and sugar, which is about 15 cups mixed. I use the mortar and pestlel to grind the course sea salt with the thyme together. I reuse the same tea bag for all 10 cups of tea which makes weak tea.<br /><br />The bees will be fed this for the next 4-6 weeks. The solution helps in the drawing out of comb. When the comb is drawn out it will be used to store food and rear young.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-42845615851389777882010-04-07T06:00:00.006-04:002010-04-14T12:13:19.552-04:00Cluster of BeesFor the last two days it has been around 90ºF with a low the mid 60sºF at night. I was up early this morning and I looked out the back window to see this large mass of bees on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75094&id=826018463&l=362524a1af">“Club Fergie.”</a> I didn't think that it was particularly warm, so I went out to investigate.<br /><br />Sure enough there was some fanning going on. Fanning occurs when the hive temperature is above 95ºF. Most likely these forager went outside to help alleviate some of the heat. However with the outside temperature being much lower, these bees probably began to cluster together for warmth. Clustering occurs when the temperature begins to drop close to 57ºF. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSxQc5Op-YjUVJm8nQsOq_xJOIYHMKgCkxIOKk-ir6OF8uZneEqaUZmQR6AkPfOmNoqC0lQ8dUQVcCsy8yG08FxtFUvNfMWnV7TeBFhLkRUIqk8PpDJfS1yqBo8TEA8gOq17EX7biXzk/s1600/040710.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSxQc5Op-YjUVJm8nQsOq_xJOIYHMKgCkxIOKk-ir6OF8uZneEqaUZmQR6AkPfOmNoqC0lQ8dUQVcCsy8yG08FxtFUvNfMWnV7TeBFhLkRUIqk8PpDJfS1yqBo8TEA8gOq17EX7biXzk/s400/040710.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460017985167373938" border="0" /></a>Recently I had changed the entrance reducer to make the entrance larger, it is still in the mid 40sºF at night and cooler so I didn't want to remove it completely. We are still 3 weeks away here from our average last frost date.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335681599115311356.post-77651699797954685912010-04-06T11:00:00.009-04:002010-04-28T23:06:46.382-04:00B2: is ready to goOn Saturday, my second trip to <a href="http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/">Brushy Mountain Bee Farm</a> in Moravian Falls, NC will commence to pick up this year's package bees. Besides my every loving <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17875545889129578783">co-conspirator</a> we are also traveling along with our friend <a href="http://houseofbees.wordpress.com/">Melissa</a> who will also begin keeping bees this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoj9qxtGKjmnVuOyBG2kcxe0xg1o96bUcHW5qSt7OKQNWkmEywE0VJez0cXKxHuU8t24ixzgTY1m7Ci2P5OgQBgMPYjT7dIjH-zYXVnvVDGZu7dEkhijt2wHxrVPEJCZezKNZmhjXsiQ/s1600/April610.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoj9qxtGKjmnVuOyBG2kcxe0xg1o96bUcHW5qSt7OKQNWkmEywE0VJez0cXKxHuU8t24ixzgTY1m7Ci2P5OgQBgMPYjT7dIjH-zYXVnvVDGZu7dEkhijt2wHxrVPEJCZezKNZmhjXsiQ/s400/April610.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457042421026793378" border="0" /></a>This is the location of the new hive in relation to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75094&id=826018463&l=362524a1af">“Club Fergie”</a>. Bees need less than a foot of space between hives, so there is plenty of room in my bee yard for them to peacefully coexist. One thing about location, You want your bees to have a good mix of sun and shade. Morning Sun is crucial in getting the hive woken up and the foragers out working the day. By mid-day you ideally want the hive sitting in a shady location to help alleviate some of the heat in the hive. A bee hive will maintain a constant temperature of about 90ºF and anything the keeper can do to assist with this is beneficial for all parties.<br /><br />Here it is “B2” ready to go. On Saturday we are picking up a 3lb package which includes about 10,000 bees and a queen. This will become their new home in a short time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHn6n5sf-Xw-qSThHSHxurlCALFoDn-bD9NXNgnPjkq56V3JDVwPTff_HaREsK63T95gVx9SuLRp8q4HSjEJBfxcyF2J1CQn2ZAqNpK-z_38QQMl6i_GQJ9TeV_-gAJ1-vxczfZvBLCB0/s1600/April610a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHn6n5sf-Xw-qSThHSHxurlCALFoDn-bD9NXNgnPjkq56V3JDVwPTff_HaREsK63T95gVx9SuLRp8q4HSjEJBfxcyF2J1CQn2ZAqNpK-z_38QQMl6i_GQJ9TeV_-gAJ1-vxczfZvBLCB0/s400/April610a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457042426819958770" border="0" /></a> Just a little about this set up. Beekeeping requires certain equipment, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune to buy everything.<br /><br />The hive components were purchased at Brushy Mountain last year in their “scratch and dent” shop. Since the hive it sitting outside and subject to everything nature has tho throw at it, it was not important for me that it start out perfect. I saved about 50% doing this. Another angle to take is to build your own components. The internet is full of great DIY plans.<br /><br />The hive stand was built with scrap wood from “The Big Orange Depot”. Once again less than perfect wood in odd sizes can easily be acquired for $1.00 or less a board. The design for the stand was my creation influenced by simple engineering principals.<br /><br />The hive pad was built using found materials. The landscaping timbers were found in the trash, the bricks came out of a dumpster, and the rocks were shoveled out of the street gutter. It was put together over a thick layer of newspapers that came out of recycling. The newspapers prevents growth of plant material from poking through the rocks. It took me a few months to acquire everything, but once I knew that I was going to need a new hive location last year the planning began.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680461183367392370noreply@blogger.com0