Robbing at the hives...

Today is Sunday...7:00 a.m.
On Friday when we returned from vacation about 2 p.m., the bees seemed as usual, foraging and returning with pollen and nectar. As the day warmed further, activity picked up immensely; I thought how nice the hives were so strong, gathering the last fall nutrients...UNTIL there were more bees than ever before and some pushing and shoving near the entrances of both top bar hive and the Warre hive, and I thought robbing is going on before my very eyes!

I blocked half the entrance of the Warre hive but didn't know what to do for the TBH entrances. (Later, decided I should have plugged those entrances immediately.) Within 30 minutes, the Warre settled down to normal activity while the TBH was swarmed with bees at the entrance. So, I donned my bee outfit and set out with spray bottle of water and hive tools to look into the hive itself, expecting to be mobbed by bees. Definitely robbing--no bees bothered by my being close or even opening the hive...in the past, guard bees were right on it so I knew they were gone. Inside the hive, bees were stacked on top of one another trying to get to the honey cells, cappings were scattered on the hive floor as were dead bees, and no sign of a queen. All this happened within an hour...wow, how quickly the news spread in the bee communities. The Warre hive was able to keep the robbers out.

Decided to tear apart the hive, literally, removing all the bars to check each comb. No brood anywhere and actually not much evidence of honey storage and a couple strange looking white trails on the brood comb...this was a weak hive, which I had suspected earlier in the summer. I'd been away so much that I wasn't tracking the TBH activity carefully and really had decided to let the bees be this year. There were 11 combs drawn: two partially completed combs at the end of the hive, one with a 4" half-moon shape of capped honey; four fully drawn combs about half filled with honey cells, three of which also had been partially used for brood; and five brood combs at the beginning of the hive with the usual pattern of honey and pollen. This is much less than last year when we had 14 combs with seven filled with honey stores. This year's TBH would not have survived the winter without feeding.

After dark when the robbers had gone, I plugged the two entrances knowing the few hive bees left would survive a few days on the honey still remaining. Visitors returned all day Saturday trying to gain access to the hive. Concerned about their moving on to the Warre which sits only 6' away, during the early afternoon I placed a water spray on the hive as discouragement. WRONG thing to do...the bees moved to the Warre hive. I sprayed them off the Warre entrance a couple of times, per instructions found on internet, and finally decided about 3pm to block the entrance entirely. After dark about one-third of the bees remained near the hive entrance--those who belonged in the hive. I unplugged the entrance so they could enter during the night.

Back to a search on how to prevent robbers getting into the hive and found a good screen technique on www.Beesource.com that I felt would be the best for this hive. The screen blocker was installed over the Warre entrance early this morning before dawn so hive foragers would leave the new way and be able to find their way back into the hive upon their return. According to the article, robber bees try to go straight into the entrance rather than find their way behind the screen and travel down into the hive entrance. It's all in place...now the waiting begins.  Also, will check the TBH to see how the bees are faring--I'm thinking there will have been a battle inside and not anticipating good news.

Three hours later, here's what it looks like...

Five hours later, front is totally covered, there is fighting on the ground and at the edges of the screen...not working well at all. Called Ernie, a local bee guy in the neighborhood, who said to restrict entrance to a one bee opening, so I mashed the screen under the board above it, sealing off most of the area. I think there are about four spots at each corner where one bee could pass. Now it's wait and see once again.

While asking about what to do, I was told that three others in the area had harvested their honey during the past few days which sets off a "false honey flow" because some honey inadvertently gets spilled around the hives. It seems all the neighborhood bees are out scouting for honey, smelled our hives, and came to rob. I am not happy about the fact that they didn't let me know that they were harvesting and to restrict the hive entrances immediately. They have the normal Langstroth hives and harvest in the fall; my beekeeping model is to harvest in the spring after bees have taken what they need from the honey stores.

Just now had a visit from Ernie, the local bee expert who retired from beekeeping in California several years ago. He looked at the TBH, said it had been queenless for a long time--a month probably--which is why it was robbed to begin with. Also, he said I should be checking every two weeks to insure there's a queen and all is well in the hive; we had decided to leave bees alone this year...maybe not a good idea, at least in this case. Ernie indicated the white trails on the comb was wax moths, resulting from a weakened hive because no queen in residence...got it!

Now the plan is to remove the Warre screen setup after dark when the visitors are gone and restrict the entrance to one bee opening; I'll do that tonight. After dark, I will also remove the roof of the TBH to let trapped bees out and then do what with the remains...not sure yet.

So goes another learning opportunity--not sure I want any more frankly. Probably will not restart the TBH next year.

TBH peek and Wax Moths ...

Other than almost daily observation of the bees activity outside the hives, there has been no beekeeper intrusion into the bees' lives/hives. Today it was time for a check to confirm that there are adequate bars for future use. There are: five empty bars with B11 having comb drawn about 1/3 of the space. The combs on B11, B10, and B9 seem to be drawn a bit curved but still nicely spaced beside the previous comb.

At this time last year, the bees in the original TBH had comb on B12, about the same size as the current comb on B11. So, bees this year are only one bar behind bees of 2011 at this time of the summer. Although, they did have a head start with the two fully drawn combs from 2011 already in the hive when they arrived. (See July 16, 2011 notes for pictures; there was little new comb into August 2011.)

When I went to get hive tools to open TBH to check need for additional bars, I discovered that moths had taken up residence in the bin, with larvae and cocoons throughout the wax processing items and on the bars, spacers, etc. Interestingly, they only placed cocoons on untreated wood surfaces; any surface that was painted or stained was free of cocoons. Cleared the moth 'stuff' off the hard parts and wax and placed all in the freezer. Tossed the damaged fabric/plastic and leftover comb in a jar, which even though tightly covered had cocoons. Another of those lessons learned...

June report on Warre and TopBar hives

Six weeks since the two packages were installed in the hives (2011 TBH and 2012 Warre). All is looking good, bees have been making orientation flights these past several days and blackberries are blooming, which indicates honey flow here in this area of Oregon. Also, the roadsides in our rural areas are covered with Queen Anne's Lace, a favorite pollen/nectar source. The new bees matured just in time--40 days since queen confirmed out and laying, with eggs and larvae identified. It's really special to see the new bees, fuzzy and bright golden color, making the orientation flights.

Removed the 1:1 sugar syrup feeder from the Warre and added box 3 to the bottom with help from Lee and son Jon lifting the top sections. Although we didn't look into the upper boxes, we know that the bars in the top box (box 1) all have drawn comb (from seeing from the top where feeders were positioned) and expect that comb has also been drawn in box 2. On a very warm, calm day we will lift boxes 1 and 2 and take a photo from underneath. The bees will now move brood into the lower box (2) and use box 1 for honey storage.

Sugar syrup was removed a week ago from TBH because the bees were not using it. Today we added six bars, which were from the 2011 hive and from which honey had been harvested; they had wax residue and a bit of honey on them and were stored in the freezer to keep vermin away and to kill any mites, bacteria, viruses, etc. When I checked 8 hours later, the bars had been propolised and bees were exploring bars to the end of the hive by the left follower. There are now 16 bars in the hive space, eight of which have comb drawn.

I believe not checking the hives each week as was done last year per suggestions by established beekeepers has made the colonies stronger; there seems to be much more activity this year compared to 2011. Maybe wishful thinking, but I think not. Research indicates that it takes 1-2 days for bees to recover from an open hive disturbance.

Now I'm off to Costa Rica on a pleasure trip--hoping to see bees there and return with those very special coffee beans for friends! Next report when I return mid-July.

Back to feeding issues...

Today and during past several days, bees of both hives flying and returning with large pockets of white, tan, gray pollen.

A few days ago Ernie, the neighbor who was a commercial beekeeper in California, was by to check on me and bees and while here, offered a few thoughts and suggestions, which I think have merit.

First,he says  the former queen may have been smothered when I opened the hive in March to remove the two bars of honey. After not being disturbed since November, the bees were seriously alarmed by their hive being invaded and gathered too tightly around the queen in an effort to protect her and thus smothered her. Not much better than the robber bees killing her, but I think more plausible. What I learned from that...slowly begin the process of opening the hives in the spring after a long layoff. Next year I would gradually reintroduce myself by first visiting the hive and talking, letting them get used to my voice and scent, before opening the hive. And then when opening the hive, lift an end bar for 10 seconds, letting light and air in, and then closing it again; repeat for a few times during nice weather before actually removing bars. Of course, this would also be toward the end of May (also recently learned after bees' disappearance this spring).

Also, Ernie suggests a minimal use of smoke so the bees get used to it and know that the "boss" has arrived. I could see how effective it was when he offered to be with me to check for the queen's effectiveness, which is to be done a week after she has been freed from her cage in the package. Although I had not intended to open the hives this year because we had done that way too much last year and already knew what to expect, it was too tempting, and the bee  supplier also had said the queen needs to be checked. So, we did and observed that both queens are laying proficiently and in the expected brood patterns...good. However, instead of smoke I prefer the water misting method espoused by TBH and Warre beekeepers and plan to continue that when needed.

He also gave me a lesson on combs...some of which was new to me. He said the bees should be building a comb a day (even in these 'alternative' hives) in order for the queen to have ample cells for laying eggs and that the comb needs to harden slightly to support the weight of the brood. The way that happens is to feed, feed, feed 1:1 sugar syrup inside the hive to prevent feeding all the neighbor bees and inadvertantly introducing robbing. Ernie said the feeder in the TBH was too far away from the cluster--it needs to be next to the cluster because they walk in the hive and it takes a lot of effort/energy to cross the empty bar space to get into the feeder and back to the comb building site. I've noticed as the bees were flying out more during these warm days, fewer were using syrup from the inside feeder. During the first 10 days in each hive, the bees had drawn two combs, similar to last year. Both the new comb and the two used combs from the 2011 TBH were almost filled with eggs or lavae, and bees were drawing more comb--not fast enough according to Ernie. If the bee population is to be adequate for a strong hive and maximum foraging during honey flow, it needs to be built up rapidly. In order to provide more readily available syrup I borrowed the Warre top feeding method for the TBH--cut a round hole the size of a jar lid in the plastic insulation that sets directly on the bars, removed two bars next to cluster in the hive, positioned the hole above the empty space, inverted a jar of syrup using the adjacent bars as a base, placed a Warre box over that, added a pillow for insulation in the Warre box, covered the open top with a towel for a ceiling, and then put the TBH roof on securing it with bungee cords. Although the roof is now raised, the Warre box covers the hive space where bees are located, and there is sufficient growth space for the duration of syrup feeding--approximately 3 more weeks.

More syrup was provided to the Warre hive by placing a Boardman feeder in the entrance, where it fit nicely while allowing adequate space for an entrance; that syrup is being used more than twice as fast as the attic feeder, perhaps because there is more open surface area and it is at the lower level. (Observation a day later: No--I think it is actually visitors taking the syrup, which puts the hive at risk for robbing, although nothing to rob at this point. Removed feeder from Warre entrance and added another to the attic of the Warre; by evening of the next day, one-half of the syrup was used and many bees clustered beneath the feeders.)

And I thought we were done with the feeding learning. Back to trial and error...rereading "The People's Hive" by Abbe Warre to learn his recommendation for feeding and talking with Ken about adjustments. This is a copy of  email to Ken:
I've also been considering what I heard from Ernie, recognizing that he is coming at it from a commercial mindset focused on generating as much honey as possible. Do I really want the bees to build brood that fast? It seems there would not be enough bees as the original group dies off to keep an expanded brood warm.

Having a feeding station at the entry side of the brood sounds like an excellent idea to me; it would proivde space for opening the brood area nicely. (I won't move it now because it might cause too much disturbance...I want to stay out of their way as much as possible...and I think it would cover the entrances we are using.) Repositioning the holes into the feeder to a lower level would reduce their walking path and adding more would allow more bees to move through at one time.

I'm reading "The People's Hive" which details Warre's hive and see that feeding on the floor is recommended--it's mentioned only once and briefly as far as I've read--will explore that more. The man developed a pretty good system so I think knowing/following his feeding method might be wise...

You are right about attracting other bees--when I had the extra jar of syrup outside the TBHive, 3 cups of syrup was gone in 8 hrs, which is how I knew neighbors were visiting and I was concerned about robbing, although there was no fighting and there is no honey to rob at this point. Much less traffic now that the syrup is all inside. Ernie said to place the Boardman feeder entrance into the Warre hive entrance, which is a good fit and leaves sufficient room for bees to enter; I tried that but again, 3 cups gone in a day--too much for just this hive's bees so even though they had to enter and make a hard left turn, neighbors were enjoying the feast, too. Not doing that again. I'm comfortable with the top feeding system for now as it's enclosed and the syrup level is gradually going down.

Here's what I found now that I'm liking. http://warre.biobees.com/feeders.htm

Summer in May...

One week since the new bees were moved into the hives. Summer-like weather has been beneficial as they fly out to forage, returning with nectar and pollen.

The feeders are both working well--each hive has used three of the four cups placed in the feeders last Sunday, which is not much considering the number of bees. Replenished the syrup supply with four cups today and will continue to provide syrup as long as they use it. The screen under the Boardman feeder in the Warre hive along with the fabric barrier keeps bees in the second box. It was a bit difficult moving bees out of the way to replace the zip lock bag of syrup in the TBH; next time I'll do it early in the morning before they stir.

Later this week it will be time to check brood's status to see if the new queens are adequate or better. Warm, dry weather is predicted all week with lows in the 40's--perfect bee weather. Here's a good site to check weather http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Independence&state=OR&site=PQR&lat=44.8314&lon=-123.203

Two new colonies...Italian bees

Another theory (the most convincing so far) for the disappearance of the 2011 bees is that robber bees were attracted by spilled honey when I removed two combs in March. They invaded the hive weak from winter and killed the queen, which disrupts the structure of the colony. If so, the bees were the price of that lesson learned. I thought honey flow began in our area when dandelions bloomed and honey left from the winter stores could be safely removed then…not so, wait until late May.

However, not discouraged for long, we have set up the new Warré hive, a work of garden art produced by hive builder Ken here in Independence, and installed a package of bees in it and one in the TBH on Sunday, May 6. There is a week of warm, sunny weather predicted which bodes well for the bees in their new hives—much different than last year where we had an unseasonably cold and wet spring weather after the April 15 installation for four weeks.

Since I discovered the empty hive after spring bee orders had been delivered to the local beekeeping stores, I planned to buy a Nuc or wait for summer swarms. Fortunately, a call to the Willamette Valley Beekeeping Association put me in touch with Kenny at Wild Harvest Honey who was soon to be assembling packages of local bees. Although I wanted Carniolan, he had only Italian queens so I ordered two, one for the new Warré and one for the TBH. Will sell those in TBH as a Nuc to some adventurous soul this summer or keep it as our own. Weather was good enough on Sunday, May 6, for the packaging operation to commence. I was able to drive to the site, see how the packaging was done, and pick up my two bee packages for a short drive home.  

See the beautiful countryside between here and there…

 After this experience and ordering a package from California suppliers last year, I recommend waiting for local bee packages not only because they are already acclimated but also less stressed from traveling a shorter distance and installed after hours instead of days.

Kenny suggested hiving the packages at dusk and putting whatever drawn comb left from the TBH into the hives as a place for bees to perch instead of clinging to one another. I had kept the best examples of comb for “show and tell” so had two fully drawn dark brown, empty brood combs and two still white combs partially filled with capped honey. The two brood combs went into the TBH, and the two with honey went into the Warré. This will give each hive a head start on comb and will provide a little food for the Warré hive.

All went as expected although dusk wasn’t quite long enough for two installations, but with Lee’s help we got it done before it was too dark to see. Bees were not nearly as active as last year during installation at 4pm, and quite a few bees remained in the screened boxes after the pour. (By this morning all but a few had moved into the hives, and those 20-30 still outside warmed with the sun and joined the rest.) Queens looked fine and were moving well in their little cages so they were taped by the metal tab to hang between bars; will check in three days to see that the candy plugs have been eaten and each is free among the colony. Even after the 6 hours with the queen in the package some bees had bonded; one was fanning on the entry board of the Warré hive after it was closed and some bees were still in the package box…interesting and amazing how quickly they adapt to our manipulations.

Feeding this year is much, much, much better than last year when we tried all sorts of cockamamie ideas to provide syrup outside the hive while protecting the bees from the cold, wet, windy weather. Of course, it is three weeks later in the year and the weather is better, but more because the feeder developed by Ken for the TBH is enclosed and syrup easily provided with a ziplock baggie. An adapted version Boardman feeder in an empty super above two boxes in the Warré makes that an easy refill. Both allow checking and refilling with little disturbance to the colonies and retain the hive environment –heat, moisture levels, light, etc. Very nice…

Warre feeder system



TBH feeder system developed by Ken

 Temperature reached upper 70’s today and many bees were flying in and out of both hives. I know these bees will die off within a few weeks so there will be fewer bees in the air for a while, but optimistically I also know these hives will be strong with bees flying in great numbers to pollinate the local blossoms. So begins our second year of beekeeping...

No bees in hive...?

Optimism of April 11 gone…as are bees from the TBH. On Saturday I noticed many bees coming and going, which was as it should be since it was an amazingly nice day for Oregon. However, bees were fighting at the entrance but not vigorously, and strange bees entering and not being ejected--thought robbing was happening, but that didn't seem the case, really, since bees were not aggressive when I was around—if there was robbing, they should have been attacking all strangers. Also, noticed no pollen being returned. Nothing to do about it…

Sunday afternoon I went in to remove 2 more bars of honey, B10 & B11. There were no guard bees as in the past and the other bees didn't seem to care about the disruption, so decided to continue through to the beginning of the hive to see what was up. Not many bees, maybe 200, and those were taking honey, and very little brood on the combs. On the brood combs, I saw several dead bees that didn't make it all the way out of their cells, a few cells of pollen and some cells with uncapped nectar.  Most importantly, no queen. Did they swarm or did the robbers kill the queen—no dead body—so I’m leaning toward swarming…for reasons I do not know at this time nor did I hear the swarming buzzing which if often referenced in articles about swarming.

B4, right, with few brood and nectar cells

B5, again little brood, but notice full shape of combs

B6, small honey section with a few nectar and pollen cells

Bees had been flying last week during the warm days, seemingly making orientation flights (although I may have misread that) and some returning with pollen. Alarmingly, on one day I smelled a heavy scent of herbicide in the air which had me concerned for bees out that day returning with pollen. I think that was not the cause of this hive failaure, because there were not many dead bodies on the bottom board.

Left side of hive after bar removal; few bees on bottom board.

So, what happened? I don’t know. Now I wish I had checked the brood area during the nice days of February so we would have had an idea of the hive conditions then. Disappointed, of course, but not discouraged…glad I am not in it for my livelihood—can relate to the commercial operations just a bit now. I'll concentrate on the new Warre hive first and decide later about rehiving the TBH. Jacqueline in Battle Ground, WA who has been beekeeping for 8 years has moved to Warre hives from top bars after comparing the two systems. I'm checking into getting a nuc from Eugene beekeepers and have been in touch with someone on the local swam list who will take me along on his next call. Ken almost has the hybrid Warre hive done and we anticipate setting it up soon. Will make it a bait hive using some of the used bars from which we removed comb/honey and pheromone.

Removed all combs from the TBH and added back eight bars in the following order: two new 1.25” brood bars, two used bars from honey extraction with wax remnants, 4 new bars. Maybe one of the robber bees will convince her hive to move here!

Yes, there was still honey left…we extracted about 14 cups of honey from five bars removed yesterday, using the same process described in April 9 notes. Plan to render the wax from all the combs, including the brood combs, which will make very dark wax candles.  

The dreaded cross combed B10 and B11 were no big deal—heavy when removed together. They actually had three combs on the two bars. That was the only cross combing in the hive.  Most of the combs holding honey had brace combing on the sides, which is normal to support the weight; see interior picture above.

It's a beautiful day here in Oregon's Willamette Valley, unseasonably warm with temperatures in the low 80's...I'm off for a bike ride...after a quick look at the abandoned hive!

April 16 notes...before all the above happened...

Only a few bees flying yesterday afternoon, high 60's and partly sunny. Saw two drones coming back to the hive. What's up? They should be out gathering pollen and nectar for the brood.

This morning I installed the new feeder system Ken developed; instead of using the ziplock bag, I used the Boardman jar feeder with a pint jar which sits a little high--need to find a shorter jar. The feeder itself is about 1/8" too high so I'll shave off the bottom a bit for a better fit when I remove it. Marked  level of 1:1 syrup with tape to be able to assess amount used.

In order to fit the feeder inside the hive, I removed B14 which had been left in when B12 & B13 removed for honey harvest and moved the left follower all the way to the end.

While the top was open I could hear a very quiet even buzz so assume all is well, even with no flying yesterday. Later, during the afternoon, there were more bees flying--yesterday was too windy perhaps and bees are staying in to keep brood warm and new bees are in their first 21 days before flying out???

Drones...large drones

About a week ago, during the few warm spring days, I noticed drones flying...really big drones, larger than I remember them being last year. From that I surmise that 1) brood is hatching for spring build-up and 2) drones are larger because bees are making cells the size they wish for different populations...a good thing.

Drones take 24 days from egg to bee and spend six days in the hive before flying; workers take 21 days from egg to bee and spend 21 days inside hive before going out to forage. According to those numbers, we should see quite a few bees on orientation flights some time between April 16 and Arpil 20. Exciting to have gone one year from installing the package and beginning the cycle once again. I believe it is safe to say the hive made it through the winter successfully. Although the plan was to dismantle the hive when weather warmed, I am less inclined to do that now that I know that even a minor drop in temperature adversely affects the brood. We shall see...

The ants come marching...and honey harvest

April 2. The ants are back. I've been expecting them and there they were, the first really nice day of April, crawling up the base of the hive and onto the honey combs at the back of the hive. Wanting to know where they were, I opened the hive at the back and saw them on the last two combs with no bees in sight. However, having the colder air entering the hive alerted the bees and one came to the opening. I closed the hive and considered various options to keep ants away; decided to install a moat between the cement blocks. I had developed the idea last fall--it hadn't been implemented because the bees had propolis sealing the hive so ants could not enter easily. But, my opening the hive to remove honey comb had disturbed the seal and allowed entrance to the ants. Three days later the moat seems to be working although weather has been poor and ants haven't been foraging much. Had to add a landing pad below the entrance because bees were falling into the water and drowning...problem solved.


Several days ago two B12 and B13 which were about 2/3 full of capped honey had been removed and stored in the refrigerator, awaiting extraction when grandchildren arrived during spring break. The comb had broken where there was cross combing and the cold refrigerator temperature kept the honey from dripping from the opened cells. We followed directions found online, crushing the comb, placing it in jars so honey would drain through cloth. Worked well and we ended with six cups of very dark, strongly flavored honey; these combs were at the far end of the hive and would have been honey from the final fall foraging. The two bars and fillled combs weighed 5.5 pounds. There were four cups of crushed comb after draining, still quite sticky with honey. That may be placed out for the bees to glean the remainder of the honey or will be washed when wax is rendered later this spring.

While removing B12 and B13, I looked closely at B11 which we knew from hive checks last summer was cross combed with B10. Because of the considerable amount of cross comb, both bars will have to be removed at the same time to keep the comb intact. That will be an interesting exercise because bees will probably be in the cavities and not easy to brush away--will deal with that when it is time.

Snow in March...

Yes...snow here in the Willamette Valley during the first days of spring. All is good in the hive; bees have been flying, returning with pollen, on several nice days recently.

Noticed a portion of the snow on the hive roof had slipped off and found a cavity under the snow on the roof going back a few inches from the open area...the hive heat caused the melting and shows where the ball of bees is located. Next year I will put block insulation on top of the roof, under the plastic covering, to help preserve hive heat. This would mean less work for the bees and less need for honey stores. Would still keep wood chips in the attic to absorb moisture; I've been changing the chips regularly (every 2-3 weeks), switching the cases and letting them dry out in the house.

Roof snow melted from hive heat.



Ken and I have again talked about adapting the Warre hive design. I'm excited to get the hive and set it up as a bait hive for the swarm that I'm sure will be happening from the TBH. Starting out this spring the hive is almost half full as the heat pattern seems to show, so they will be wanting more hive space...I believe.

Ken has a good description on how to set up a top bar hive at http://www.yardcraftjunky.com/setting-up-a-top-bar-bee-hive.htm. Check it out if you are interested in becoming a "bee guardian."

Also, I bought the "Queen of the Sun" documentary DVD; amazing photography and a really good description of the worldwide bee crises, a call to all of us to do what we can now to protect the bees and thus ourselves. http://www.queenofthesun.com/

Bees in Baja!

While camping February 26 on a remote beach in the southern part of Baja on the Sea of Cortez, I found this old abandoned toilet among bushes! No bees and no honey, but lovely intact comb. How's that for an amazing find...whether in Alaska or Baja, bees are there! I hope to return some day to this Baja site for another hive check.

Back home again on March 5, I find our home bees still hunkered down for winter. Although I hear a quiet buzz after a soft knock on the outside of the hive, no bees are flying during these cooler days. The dandelions began to bloom while I was away so honey flow is not far off.

I and many others are looking forward to seeing how much honey is left in our top bar hive after winter and harvesting it for a taste. Although that will be really cool, I'm mainly looking forward to learning how well the bees did during this first winter, getting the new Warre hive set up, hanging a swarm collector in a tree, and observing the spring behavior of bees in an established hive. Now that March has begun, it won't be long for the new beginning. What a fantastic year of learning and observing our bees--it all began one short year ago on April 15, 2011.

Mid-winter hive peek...

(Peek is not a hive check.) Took the interior hive temperature this morning—right at 50° so I’m thinking if the outside temperature reaches 50° today and there’s no breeze, it would be fine to open the hive, quickly check food supply and move combs as needed. To take the temperature I inserted an instant read cooking thermometer through an entrance on the back of the hive, covering the opening with the head of the thermometer. There was a loud buzzing when the 4” thermometer stem was first positioned between the combs, but that soon quieted. From that I deduce that there are bees in that area, which would be at bar 9.5, about midway in the hive. I’m also seeing them bunched on comb just inside the entrance at the front of the hive…really that big of a population I’m wondering. If so, nice.

Lifted roof to check attic area—not good. There was one big spider in residence, three earwigs, and lots of moisture and mold. Removed plastic insulation, cleaned mold away, and inserted a pillow case filled with pine pet bedding to absorb moisture, per Warre hive method.

Question: do they need food? Answer: not at this time.

Prepared 2:1 (sugar:water) in jar feeder to place inside hive between end and follower (bees can get under follower to reach it). When outside temperature was 53°, I opened hive by sliding follower and spacer to end and placed a cloth over open space to retain hive heat as much as possible. Looked at right side of B14, which still has as much honey as it did November 13. Looked at B13 left side, also with as much honey as last check on November 13. As I was peering down at B13 a bee came to check on things. That would mean they know honey is there; if interior hive temperature is 50°, they would be mobile enough to get to it. So, no syrup placed in hive and plan is to check again in two weeks to see if honey still there, providing syrup if needed.

No mold or mildew in space I could see in hive.

Notes from days gone by…

Jan 31: 50°, bees flying and a few returning with a bit of white pollen…what’s that about? Jody says that Jacqueline says they are gathering pollen to ferment for future brood. I think they are scoping out the pollen situation to decide when to start spring operations. These bees just know what to do... ;-)

Jan 28: decided to take temperature inside hive through entrance next to follower at back of hive using instant read cooking thermometer; worked well, 50° inside; no bees in the area. Read that flying bees need more nourishment than if they were quiet; these seem to fly a lot…our mild weather.

Big hive change...

The new year, 2012, has arrived and along with it a major change in my beekeeping plan. After attending Jacqueline’s January meeting, which focused on the three main hives used in our area—Langstroth, TopBar Hives, and Warre—I have decided to go with a Warre as a second hive. Below are some of the emails between the ever-patient Ken (our local hive builder) and myself, which provide a glimpse into my thoughts and his ideas. Ken called shortly after receiving my first message and we talked about the reasons TBH were good for the backyard beekeeper… primarily the advantages of less weight to deal with when handling the hives. It will probably take three people to add a box to the bottom of a Warre hive, but I’m okay with that as there are many people around me to call upon. Otherwise, the TBH and Warre are very similar relative to having top bars on which bees draw comb as they wish rather than having to conform to the human standardized foundation most beneficial to commercial operations.

I will keep the TBH as a swarming hive (mentioned in earlier posts) and used the Warre for honey…still keeping the primary goal of helping bees thrive in the neighborhood to pollinate and reproduce naturally.

Jan 11, 2012

Hi Ken,

I'm wondering what you'll think of this...I'm so impressed with Warre hives that I want one as a second hive for honey gathering. Will keep the current TBH for a swarming hive and to collect honey after winter. Attended a class about three different hives: Langstroth, TBH and Warre and think Warre best meets the needs of our weather and moisture issues. I'm reading http://www.thewarrestore.com/ where I'm finding more info in one place than I've seen before.

I know you got out of building Warre's but wonder if you'd consider it again. Or, I think I can make one at the 50+ Center in Salem, with these plans http://warre.biobees.com/plans.htm. I'm thinking building it so the top bars are interchangeable with my TBH...unconventional, but I can't see why it couldn't work. I see making the boxes as deep as Warre's and as wide as ours but not square, with less distance from front to back in order to keep the weight about the same when full. Also, I want to be able to move top bars from the Swarm catcher you're making to either hive.

Your thoughts?

Hope you and Sal are completely well...now I'm feeling not so good--not bad but not quite normal.

Bees in our hive seem to be doing well, sun is shining and snow might happen in a few days so I'm happy,

Lorraine

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Jan 13, 2012

Good Morning Ken!

have been thinking about a handle change for the Warre hives that I forgot to mention....

how about switching to two large eye bolts rather than wood handles on each box to facilitate lifting and securing? If one could slide a metal bar that is longer than the hive is wide through eye bolts, wouldn't it make lifting much easier by two people when sliding the lowest box under?

Also, in the class it was stressed that the hives should be secured/braced against falling caused by winds and varmints--I'm thinking one could turn the eye bolts horizontal and slide rebar (or a similar metal bar) through the bolts on each box and into the ground...could even use the lifting bars I suppose.

And also, the eye bolts should be on front and back so lifters would stand off to the sides and not obstruct the entrance, true?

Another idea from the class...using needlepoint canvas, which is plastic, for the bottom board screening rather than wire.

I'm sure there is more we can improvise!  now, have a good day,

Fri, Jan 13, 2012 Ken’s response

Uh-Huh....   Now you are beginning to comprehend the magnitude of prototype conversion, Lorraine!

Forget the metal, it isn't necessary. What you want is a small modified "Bee Yard" that can answer the concerns of both Warre and Horizontal beekeepers.

The Warre has always been difficult to work because it has always been assumed that the bees would always work up or down. With a proper design, it is possible to use both vertical and horizontal behavior of the bees to ours and their advantage.

By using the modified dimensions of a Warre to compliment the dimensions of the Kenya topbar you have already increased the stability factor.

For lifting the bottom there should be an elevated foundation brick pedestal at knee height and slightly smaller than the dimensions of the Warre bottom and the bottom would be "fixed" to the top layer of foundation bricks.

An in-ground post framework could be built to brace all parts of a Warre hive like the old fashioned poker chip holders only square. The posts would be slightly farther apart than the dimensions of the hive. A frame of 2x4 stock can then be made to slip over the framework and stop on cleats positioned just below the top of the top super.

You could then go ahead and employ your eye bolt idea in lieu of handles for transporting the supers.

I'll make up a small model....I can use it in my plans anyway.

Jan 14, 2012 another note from Lorraine to Ken

although only a few inches wider, maybe elongating the hive is not such a good deal for the bees--see this from http://www.thewarrestore.com/warrehives.htm: “Another very notable advantage to the Warré's shape and size comes from the fact that because the bee cluster is close to all of the hive walls and therefore is heating the walls, there is little or no condensation in the corners. Condensation that frequently forms in the corners of larger hives and in horizontal hives is a significant contributor to mold, mildew and bee diseases such as nosema. In other hives, condensation can become such a problem that the bees get wet and die of exposure. Winter losses due to this are quite common.”

We haven’t talked much since those notes because I’ve been sick, sick, sick. But I have looked out the window in the midst of all this snow and rain (4”+ during the past 48 hours) to see that a few bees were out yesterday at 4:30p when the rain was taking a break and temperature was 53°. Also, surprisingly I saw several bees flying on the 15^th when thermometer showed 39°…???

A few other items of note and to do’s learned at Jacqueline’s meeting:

*vibration of freestanding comb assists with communication throughout the hive, hugely important I think

*anchor hives for stability during high winds; we don’t usually have that problem and ours are in a relatively sheltered spot but will keep that in mind for the future Warre which will be taller than current TBH

*when harvesting honey from TBH, remove honey from both ends and move brood bars forward so food will all be to one side. I believe the bees set up our hive in that way; during last fall check, they were all bunched up at the front end of the hive and now I can see bees through the entrance, which is where the brood was originally established.

*check hives during February, when we usually have a few really warm days here, and move honey closer to brood comb. (I’ll also be checking for mildew then.)

With the decision to go with a Warre hive, I've added these two site to my list of favorites in the July 20 blog:
http://www.thewarrestore.com/ & http://warre.biobees.com/plans.htm & http://www.friendlyhaven.com/classes.html

We are anxious for spring and honey flow to begin...the dandelions signal the beginning of a new bee season here. And our yard and garden and flower beds will be crammed with those!!