Dogs and bees and black don't mix...

Thought this might be an interesting bit to post as an fyi (for your information) for those who are not yet aware of it.  Bees do not like dogs or the scent of dogs, especially big black dogs--that would be similar to a bear to a colony...and bears destroy bee hives as we all know. I can testify to this myself from an experience yesterday morning when checking inside the hive to see how the 'super' was being accepted.

Waylon, the big black dog was not with me; however, his scent was all over my black velour lounge pants which I wore to the hive, not thinking about the strong odor that would cling to the fabric after petting and being close. As soon as I moved the top box, the bees were out and went right for my black soft furry pants, trying to sting through the fabric (fortunately, none gone through). And when the other bees sensed the stinging going on, they were coming out to help. I had to discontinue my observations, brush about a dozen from the pants, and head into the house. Even with the hat (san veil--my mistake) a bee got caught in my hair and I got a head sting...ouch! Not only the dog scent, but also I have not been here enough to visit the hive daily and give the bees an opportunity to recognize my voice and scent.

So, my advice--keep dogs and dog scent away when working with hives, do not wear black velour pants, wear a veil and keep a spray bottle with sugar water handy. Also, bees do not care for perfume or aftershave scents that people wear; ask visitors to stand farther back if they are wearing scents.

And here's a picture of Waylon and me in the stinging pants:

May 3, 2014 New Warre hive in Bend, Oregon

May 3, 2014  Warre hive populated by a package of bees from Liddells Honey of Sister, Oregon. A Carniolan queen which sounds best for the weather in this section of Oregon: respond quickly to nectar supply so less bees and brood during winter so less need for stores, and fast buildup of colony during spring.

Started feeding with cane sugar in the feeders in the sump; added syrup a few days later and bees are slurping it up--about 1.5 cups per day at first going to 1 c by May 13.

Starting the move.

Checking and preparing for move. 

Changing the syrup in sump. Hive not tilted, just appears so.

Independence Warre Hive Renovations...a good thing???

Have decided I want a harvest of honey from the Independence Warre hive and talked with hive builder, Ken. The bees have remained in the same box since the beginning and not moved into the lower box. Ken and I think this is due to the size of this top bar/Warre hybrid. Perhaps the motto is "don't mess with success" but what fun is that and how is one to learn?!

On Thursday, May 15, I added a 'super' to the top. Perhaps this will encourage the bees to increase their stores? I actually think not; in fact, the day after add the box, bees were busy sealing the openings between the bars (I had moved the fabric cover from the occupied box to the top of the new empty placed above it). A day later I am thinking it was not a good idea to remove the whole cover--opening a small portion of it would have been better; less heat would have escaped from their core area...too late now. Also added 1:1 cane sugar syrup to encourage comb building; will check in three days (Sunday) to see if they are using it.