Summer weather has arrived...

Sunshine, clear skies, 80’s for the past few and next several days…really bee working weather. Herbs--thyme, oregano, peppermint, chives--seem to be particularly attractive to the bees although there are many bees on the flower and vegetable blossoms as well.

Inside the hive bees are moving around on B12, but I cannot tell if they are filling the cells…doesn’t appear so. Have been lifting the roof and one empty bar to see B12 comb, which is about 2/3 drawn. Will not go further into the hive until necessary, which would be if bars are all drawn with comb and honey needs to be collected.

Where are the drones? Have not seen any around the hive recently nor were there any in the pictures taken last week. And the capped brood cells on B2 and B3 were only worker cells. I know the drones’ work happens during the swarm season, late spring and early summer, so maybe they are done and gone. Research shows they will be shut out of the hive during fall by workers preparing for winter.

It’s nice to report that the bees have done and are still doing pollination in the garden—my primary purpose for starting the backyard hive. I estimate that there are three times the amount of boyzen berries as last year and more squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes have formed than during all of last year.

Removed the attic feeder; no activity since it was placed there July 21. We’ll come back to that if feeding is needed during winter or spring.

Time for pictures…here are some of the immediate hive environment during summer: deck, back yard, back garden.  Bees are flying everywhere in the yard, settling on blossoms, and traveling constantly on their flight path to and from the hive.

Stung...I can hardly believe it! Plus opening the broodnest for regression and bar angle test.

Guard bees do exist…and do their job effectively.  Well…I’ve just inserted the extra bar into the brood area between B2 and B3 and am gently moving the last bar back into place when two loudly buzzing bees come out of the open slot and head directly for my face. One stings my cheek…I’m just wearing the hat and no veil. I leave the hive area quickly with the other bee in pursuit, she gets into my hair—we get that resolved, and then she tries to follow me into the house, unsuccessfully. I scraped the stinger off and took the homeopathic tablets Jody provided early on. They seem to work—two hours later, aches like a punch in the jaw must feel the next day but no swelling. A while back I was wondering why there seemed to be no guard bees on duty around my hive—I think it was because there was no honey to protect. Now there is and I was messing with those combs. Earlier this spring my brother, who has had hives on his farm in the past, listened to me extol the virtues of these calm and gentle bees; then he said that he’d like to hear how calm they were next year after we had removed honey…hmmm Next time I’ll have the veil on, spray water handy, and be a little more aware of bee movements.

Anyway, went back to finish closing the hive…lovely summer day, mid 70’s, mostly cloudy, bees out and about doing their thing. I had read info on the Bush Farms site about regressing bees to their natural size and considering that Ken had a new style brood bar to try, I thought we’d do both at the same time. However, I was concerned about the timing. Michael Bush’s response to my question about adding a bar in the brood area now: “You can put one empty in the brood nest most anytime except when there is no flow at all. Its a great way to get perfectly drawn comb if you put it between two perfectly drawn brood combs. If they don't draw it, you can always remove it later.” So, I added it this morning. While there I peeked at the comb on B2 and B3 and saw a small section of capped worker brood cells but no drone brood.

Here’s an excerpt from Bush Farms website about opening the broodnest to prevent a swarm and regression.

Opening the broodnest

>This, of course is what we want to do. What we need to do is interrupt the chain of events. The easiest way is to keep the brood nest open. If you keep the brood nest from backfilling and if you occupy all those unemployed nurse bees then you can change their mind. If you catch it before they start queen cells, you can put some empty frames in the brood nest. Yes, empty. No foundation. Nothing. Just an empty frame. Just one here and there with two frames of brood between. In other words, you can do something like: BBEBBEBBEB where B is brood comb and E is an empty frame. How many you insert depends on how strong the cluster is. They have to fill all those gaps with bees. The gaps fill with the unemployed nurse bees who begin festooning and building comb. The queen will find the new comb and about the time they get about ¼" deep, the queen will lay in them. You have now "opened up the brood nest". In one step you have occupied the bees that were preparing to swarm with wax production followed by nursing, you've expanded the brood nest, and you've given the queen a place to lay. If you don't have room to put the empty combs in, then add another brood box. The other upside is I get good natural sized brood comb.
> A hive that doesn't swarm will produce a LOT more honey than a hive that swarms.

What is Regression?
> Large bees, from large cells, cannot build natural sized cells. They build something in between. Most will build 5.1 mm worker brood cells. The next brood cycle will build cells in the 4.9 mm range. The only complication with converting back to Natural or Small cell is this need for regression.
> How do I regress them? To regress, cull out empty brood combs and let bees build what they want (or give them 4.9 mm foundation). After they have raised brood on that, repeat the process. Keep culling out the larger combs.
> How do you cull out the larger combs? Keep in mind it's normal procedure to steal honey from the bees. It's frames of brood that are our issue. The bees try to keep the brood nest together and have a maximum size in mind. If you keep feeding in empty frames in the center of the brood nest, put them between straight combs to get straight combs, they will fill these with comb and eggs. As they fill, you can add another frame. The brood nest expands because you keep spreading it out to put in the frames. When the large cell frames are too far from the center (usually the outside wall) or when they are contracting the brood nest in the Fall, they will fill them with honey after the brood emerges and then you can harvest them. You could also move the capped large cell brood above an excluder and wait for the bees to emerge and then pull the frame.

Will be interesting to see 1) if they draw comb on the inserted bar, 2) and if so, how much smaller the cells are, 3) how well Ken’s larger angles work, and 4) whether guard bees will be looking for me next time around.

Complete hive check...did not happen but queen seen!

My hands smell of bee hive fragrance and all is right in the bee world in our backyard. While taking pictures of the comb, we saw the queen at the center of the comb on B7 right. She’s 50% larger than the other bees and has a much larger abdomen. She was supposed to have been marked with a white spot when the package was delivered in April, but I don’t see it. (click on photo to enlarge)

Also, there is what looks to be uncapped brood at the lower left side on B6 left…or it’s pollen or it’s reflection on the nectar, but I think it is brood. (Later...wishful thinking--it's nectar reflecting light.)

And then because I accidently crushed a bee while moving two bars together and bees became agitated, we decided to close the hive. One really has to go very, very slowly when moving bars together to give the bees a chance to move out of the way…I slipped and could feel and hear the crunch—a most unhappy thing. We did get pictures of both sides of B9.5, B9, B8, B7, and B6. No pictures of B12, B11, and B10 which looked similar to a few days ago. Bars are feeling heavier with honey than at last hive check; we still have weeks of honey flow here in the Oregon Willamette Valley so I am confident they will have enough stores to survive the winter.

Nothing happening with the feeding system in the attic.

Because of leaving the hive before moving through all the bars, I did not place the new bar into the brood area between B2 and B3 as planned. I will check B6 left in a week to see if what I think is brood is capped. Other than that I think I’ll leave them to their bee work…now that I know for certain a queen is present.

Notes for July 21 & 22

July 21, 2011

Low 70’s, overcast with sprinkles today. Visited with Ken today; he had some improvements we want to try on my hive, including an attic feeder, roof storm holders, and a way to secure the sticky board. He also had wider bars to be used for honey combs—1.5” rather than the 1.25” originally provided for this TBH. We had installed ¼” spacers to widen the honey comb bars but I removed them after talking with Jerry in Alaska because he said cross combing happens when there is too much space between bars. Most TBH experts indicate a 1.5” bar is best for honey comb; we will try it.

Ken suggested that the bees in my hive had swarmed while I was away—I wondered about that since 1) there was no progress on drawing comb during those three weeks; 2) less bees seemed to be on B10 and other bars; 3) I could not find new brood cells; and 4) back to those queen cells that I thought were “wannabees”. So, maybe that is what happened—and if so, that is fine…I’m a bee guardian, not a honey harvester, which I keep reminding myself (although the prospect of getting honey is pretty neat). However, if that is the case, the remaining bees need to gear up to have enough honey to winter over. Ken also thought I should begin feeding sugar now in order for the bees to be as productive as possible as they prepare honey stores for winter. Although we have lots of flowers blooming in the yard, bloom is down from previous years, and we have bee competition from the commercial operation a few miles away. I agreed to begin feeding now and placed 1/8 cup each of sugar (dampened per M. Bush info) and water in the attic space this morning. If bees want/need it, they’ll use it.

Ken built a tray for an ‘attic’ feeding system where one puts white sugar and water in the attic; sides need to be cut down to fit under the roof of my hive so no shown in the picture below. The ¾” spacer is left out so bees can access the attic area; I will suggest that he reduce the size of the opening to ½” x 1” by cutting a slot out of the spacer to conserve hive heat rather than having the full width of the hive open. Several bees would be able to pass in an opening that size. Later…Ken improved on the 1” slot idea and drilled three holes in a 1” spacer; holes can be plugged with corks as needed; installed today.

Sugar can also be placed on the bottom/sticky board, which is closed tight with the new securing system. Ants were a problem with the syrup feeding during early spring; I’ll watch to see what happens with the sugar in the attic. 

Ken has been busy while I was away…besides building a “harvester” TBH, he is beveling the top side of the bars so it will be easier to pry them apart when sealed with propolis; that has been an issue for me so I look forward to seeing how that works. Replaced B13, B14, and B15 with new 1.5” beveled bars which also have a larger angle for bees to attach comb. Will insert a new 1.25” beveled, larger angle bar into brood area at B2 or B3 or replace one of those brood combs tomorrow or whenever weather clears and heats up a bit. After a week will check the progress on that one bar and add others as I feel indicated from the results—expect an update on that!

Today I snugged the sticky board against the bottom of the hive, sealing that as an entrance point. Almost immediately the worker bees returning to the hive flew directly into the side entrances whereas the drones wandered along the bottom searching for a way to get in. Eventually drones found the regular entrances; wonder what they’ll do tomorrow.

I love that Ken is working with me as he considers new ideas and develops all sorts of improvements for us to try. I’ve needed something new and challenging to learn.

July 22, 2011

Weather in low 70’s at noon with a blue sky 50% covered by cumulus clouds with a light breeze--a perfect day for bees to forage and for me to work in the yard. As I did, I contemplated the things that have changed in my gardening life since I’ve become a bee guardian… Many weeds are now “wild flowers” which get pulled after bloom and just before the seeds mature; clover in the lawn is now lovely and not something to wrestle with although morning glory still gets plucked and tossed as soon as it is recognized; ants and other miniature creatures are admired rather than tolerated. Almost every time I’m outside there’s a quick detour by the hive…so peaceful and refreshing to see the bees going and returning, to hear the quiet contented buzzing inside the hive, and to smell the sweet aroma surrounding the hive. Life is good here.

And I once again have to concede that those bees know what’s better for them than I do!! Usually I do not have reading glasses outside and today was no exception; however, I strained my eyes a bit to look for pollen on those little bee legs. And yes, a good portion were carrying dark pollen back to the hive—gray, brown, dark beige—hard to see unless one expects it. Having just read that pollen comes in many colors, including the usual yellow, gold and orange, I know now to look for blue, purple, red, black, brown, and more of the darker colors. So the next time I look in the hive I fully expect to see brood cells, pollen cells, nectar cells, capped cells, etc. and to get pictures of each comb if all goes as planned. Also, Jody suggested we use a magnifying glass to see eggs at hive check...apparently not only aging eyes have trouble seeing those tiny specks.

Looked at the sugar feeding in the attic—no bees (or ants) there and it doesn’t appear to have been touched. Will check each day for a week and then remove and plug the access hole until food is needed in the fall and/or winter. My plan is that the bees will store enough honey to get them through the winter with excess for harvest next spring; I hope the bees have the same plan.

At last a few days of summer-type weather are predicted so the next intensive hive check will probably be this weekend.

Back into the hive already...on July 20, 2011

So, I'm curious and could not wait longer to look for brood...

July 20, 2011

Mid 70’s, sunshine today. Another hive check during late morning to see if there is brood…cannot see any brood cells after going through each and every bar/comb…hmmm…nor did I see the queen although I did not do an intensive search but quickly moved through the hive to check for brood. Yesterday there were a few bees bringing back pollen but most were without. During the few minutes I observed the bees coming and going at the entrance today I did not see pollen carriers; however, there seems to be an abundance of drones compared to what I’ve seen in the past.  Does that mean anything?

I did see several chewed out queen cells on B9 (see picture below of  left and right sides of B9). Notice the capped honey cells and open honey cells; comb is dark so brood was there earlier.

B10&B11 seemed to have some capped honey cells on B10 left. The combs do look to be separate from the bottom view and also on the bars looking at the side view, so I’m considering separating the bars next time I’m checking the hive. Comb on B11 appears to be attached to spacers on both sides whereas B10 comb seems to be only on B10 at the sides but maybe going across to spacer or B11 toward the middle. ??

Took pictures of both sides of B3 to see if brood in evidence upon closer examination—cannot see it because bees covered the entire comb. Notice the side and bottom edges of the comb and how it is formed to the exact shape of the hive...cool.

The comb is very dark which leads me to believe that it has been used for brood more than once; I’ve read that the queen prefers new comb for egg laying. Perhaps I should look closer at the more recently drawn comb, i.e. B10, B11. Did not see anything in the cells of B12 today.

Question: When does one remove used comb in top bar hives? Research indicates that beekeepers feel that honey placed in the dark brown cells does not taste so good…I hope to assess that for myself someday soon. 

Also, perhaps it is time to gather the TBH newbies in our area for discussion about what we are finding this first year—will ask Ken to suggest people. Now that I’m back and plan to be around for awhile, it seems a good time to get this going. Also, will attend the Salem area beekeepers meeting next Monday evening.

Just finished reading Plan|bee by Susan Brackney, a good book with some basic info and history of beekeeping. My favorite book so far of the many I've read and which has really useful basic info is none other than “Beekeeping for Dummies."

And while I’m mentioning information sources, here is a list of websites that I’ve found particularly helpful during the past few months as I climb the steep learning curve. Each one had good information at the time I needed it, and some I continue to return to for current questions...but still have questions to which I cannot find answers--that's where talking with others is really valuable.

http://beenatural.wordpress.com/natural-beekeeping/

http://www.goldstarhoneybees.com/

http://www.topbarbees.com/

http://www.backyardhive.com/

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=HolHN&m=KU8xfG7aJSQXmz&b=7kHbL2tFhzdvSboUh5FlNA

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/agriculture/entomology/beekeeping/general/management/top_bar_faqs/tbhf.html

http://www.biology-resources.com/bee-01.html

http://oneblockdiet.sunset.com/team_bee/

http://www.beginningbeekeeping.com/TopBarHiveBeekeeping.html

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/

http://www.beethinking.com/ 
http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm

http://yardcraftjunky.com/store.htm (Hive builder, Ken)

During the next hive check, I plan to photograph both sides of each comb for a snapshot in time of the hive…with help from another bee lover!

Back in town after three weeks; hive check report

Back home, cloudy day with showers, mid-60’s. Opened hive this morning after being away 3 weeks to check progress, mainly to see if bees have adequate space remaining.  They do—pictures show some progress on B12 (misnumbered as B13 in photo) but bees are not getting close to the end of the hive at B18. The weather has been mostly cool while I was away so putting the bottom board and entrance plugs back in place was a good move. (Jody determined that part of her hive’s problem was “chilled brood” where bees were unable to keep brood warm enough because of too much ventilation.) B12 no longer has nectar as it did on June 25.

B11 has the interesting smaller comb in the center as on June 25 and no longer has the nectar/honey in the cells; see picture below. Did the bees eat it or move it? I moved B10&B11 as a set since they appeared to be crossed combed at the previous inspection…not ready to have it break apart again—will see it when honey is harvested, although we probably will not ever harvest combs that far back.

B10, right, had only honey cells, no brood...picture below

There is no brood on B9.5, open nectar and capped honey cells only—see picture of left side here. This comb has the center top hole through which bees move.

B8 has no brood now, only nectar and honey cells—see B8 left side  below.

Did not inspect beyond B8 left side, although I am curious how many bars back the brood has gone. There were no bees bringing pollen into the hive today, which indicates that they are not actively raising brood. I’m thinking they are now concentrating on building honey surplus, reducing brood and filling former brood cells with nectar. That might explain the now empty nectar cells on B12 and 11…and is what we were told would happen during the summer as they prepare for winter.

Didn’t see or even look for the ‘wannabe’ queen cells; quiet buzzing and no indication of swarm activity. Bees are still quite amenable, not at all upset by my moving combs back and forth while peering into the depths of their hive to see their work….nice. No need for net, gloves, or even water spray today. So I'll watch from the outside for the next several weeks and check during the latter part of August to determine if it is honey harvesting time.