Bees doing just what they do: foraging and returning with nectar and pollen, pollen of all colors--tan, yellow, red, blue! Yesterday a group was buzzing around the front of the hive orienting themselves. Continue to feed 1:1 cane sugar syrup. They are using about two quarts every two-three days.
Opening the hive was easy--bees still gentle although more flew around me after I removed the first frame. It was almost fully drawn to the edges with good brood pattern as well as pollen and nectar cells on the outer side. Since it was looking good and I prefer not to disturb the hive anymore than necessary, I went no further.
There is no comb at all on the frames in the second deep which I added at 3 week hive check--thinking now that was too early because they have to navigate through it to the feeder above it. Since there is no comb in that box I'm wondering about replacing it with a medium super which I see some beekeepers do for the second box which is usually brood. Will look online and check with local beekeepers--too bad I missed meeting Tuesday.
So in the end, I made no changes, added syrup and closed the hive.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Sunday, June 9, 2019
3 week hive check - June 9, 2019
Wow! Not only is this the most mild tempered bee colony I have experienced, they are also quite industrious. All frames have beautiful white comb drawn and closely packed capped brood cells throughout the center of the hive. No queen cells seen. Pictures below show outermost frame and center frame. The queen obviously is viable which is good news in that she may go for the usual three years, perhaps more. Of course, I'll check each year to ascertain her laying pattern. Here's a site as a reminder of the bee life cycle: http://blogs.evergreen.edu/terroir-zack/life-cycle-of-the-honey-bee/
Friend and neighbor, Christie, took photos of both sides of each frame. I went to frame six and decided that was sufficient, wanting to close the hive to retain warmth. Did not see the queen but know she is healthy and extremely capable. Because all frames had drawn comb and most were 3/4 full, I added the next regular super for the bees to begin comb building and a second box for brood and honey. Will continue to feed the 50/50 cane sugar/water syrup as long as they take it and are building comb. Next hive check in two weeks to see how they are handling the second box.
Friend and neighbor, Christie, took photos of both sides of each frame. I went to frame six and decided that was sufficient, wanting to close the hive to retain warmth. Did not see the queen but know she is healthy and extremely capable. Because all frames had drawn comb and most were 3/4 full, I added the next regular super for the bees to begin comb building and a second box for brood and honey. Will continue to feed the 50/50 cane sugar/water syrup as long as they take it and are building comb. Next hive check in two weeks to see how they are handling the second box.
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| First side/ first frame |
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| First side/ sixth frame |
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| Second side/ sixth frame |
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Day 11 Hive Check
Day 11 for this hive. All seems well, 11:30a, sun is out, 68 deg, calm air and lots of activity inside hive with sugar water and bees flying in with pollen and nectar. Found the queen roaming on the lower comb of a middle bar. Cannot see eggs or larvae yet although I held comb up in sun...hope she's fertile and will be a good queen for the hive. Bees seem contented and there are no supersedure cells which would indicate bees feel a new queen is needed. It is early yet and next week I'll look more closely for eggs and larvae.
Concerned about the black scum that is forming on the edge of the 50/50 sugar water. Checked web for info; not unusual because the hive provides ideal conditions for mold to grow. Tip is to feed less quantity more often. Also wonder about the amount of syrup in the cells--at least it looks clear like syrup but that could be nectar as well. Bees are using about 2 qts of syrup per day and drawing lots of comb so I will continue to provide the syrup.
Although using a Langstroth setup for the hive, I have provided empty frames (no plastic or wax foundation*) and letting the bees draw comb as they desire. Worked well in top bar hives and should be the same here. The center six frames have comb, 3/4 filled on one, 2/3 on a couple, a smaller amount on the frames moving toward the outside, last two frames on each side empty although bees are hanging together there. See https://honeybeesuite.com/festooning-bees-lacework-between-the-frames/ for a photo...fun. And the cells on those six frames have nectar and pollen.
Next check will be when I return from Colorado trip on June 4 or 5.
*Read a sad thing--one can consider all of the commercial USA wax foundation to be contaminated because of the pesticide treatments. According to the article, cosmetic companies only buy beeswax from Africa where people are too poor to buy the pesticides.
Concerned about the black scum that is forming on the edge of the 50/50 sugar water. Checked web for info; not unusual because the hive provides ideal conditions for mold to grow. Tip is to feed less quantity more often. Also wonder about the amount of syrup in the cells--at least it looks clear like syrup but that could be nectar as well. Bees are using about 2 qts of syrup per day and drawing lots of comb so I will continue to provide the syrup.
Although using a Langstroth setup for the hive, I have provided empty frames (no plastic or wax foundation*) and letting the bees draw comb as they desire. Worked well in top bar hives and should be the same here. The center six frames have comb, 3/4 filled on one, 2/3 on a couple, a smaller amount on the frames moving toward the outside, last two frames on each side empty although bees are hanging together there. See https://honeybeesuite.com/festooning-bees-lacework-between-the-frames/ for a photo...fun. And the cells on those six frames have nectar and pollen.
Next check will be when I return from Colorado trip on June 4 or 5.
*Read a sad thing--one can consider all of the commercial USA wax foundation to be contaminated because of the pesticide treatments. According to the article, cosmetic companies only buy beeswax from Africa where people are too poor to buy the pesticides.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
New bees today in Bend, Oregon, USA! May 18, 2019
I left off during mid_June 2015 with healthy hives and rather routine reports. A quick update on those hives: the Warre hive did well until winter set in; the moisture level was extremely high and the bees could not survive even though I has provided good insulation. Apparently there was inadequate upper ventilation so when I opened the hive during spring when bees should have been flying and were not, it was a drippy moldy cavern. The top bar hive did quite well through the summer of 2017 during which time there were several swarming episodes, due in part to an aging queen which I opted to let the hive handle, and also I think/wonder to an unhygienic environment because I had not switched out the brood comb since the beginning. My thought was bees stay in tree hives for decades (as witnessed by friends in Monmouth Oregon) and the bees know what to do. However, the bees remaining were inadequate in number to sustain the warmth needed during the winter of 2016-17. There was plentiful honey stores remaining which I harvested during spring when I opened the top bar hive and found very few dead bees. Hopefully those swarms were successful and had thriving hives. My primary intention as a backyard beekeeper is to support bees in their propagation and pollination efforts; honey I can purchase. Recognizing that I had travel plans for spring 2017, I opted to remain hive-less and only decided now to acquire a new set and establish another backyard hive.
And so the 2019 story begins! Early this morning I drove to Redmond, OR to meet Matt of Apricot Apiaries in Kimberly, Oregon to pick up the package. Quite cool, in the 40's and the bees were cold from their early morning drive so hiving waited until they have recovered and the day warms. Warmer temperature, overcast and no wind so bees moved into hive, feeder filled, hive closed. Will check feeder (1:1 organic cane sugar and pure H2O from Avion Water here in Bend) each day to determine use and need to refill; will remove queen cage after 3-4 days; will do detailed hive check at about 10 days...stay tuned!
I've switched to a Langstroth hive this year, complete with an inside easy to handle feeding system courtesy of a friend from Independence, OR who was a commercial beekeeper in days gone by. Here come the photos!
And so the 2019 story begins! Early this morning I drove to Redmond, OR to meet Matt of Apricot Apiaries in Kimberly, Oregon to pick up the package. Quite cool, in the 40's and the bees were cold from their early morning drive so hiving waited until they have recovered and the day warms. Warmer temperature, overcast and no wind so bees moved into hive, feeder filled, hive closed. Will check feeder (1:1 organic cane sugar and pure H2O from Avion Water here in Bend) each day to determine use and need to refill; will remove queen cage after 3-4 days; will do detailed hive check at about 10 days...stay tuned!
I've switched to a Langstroth hive this year, complete with an inside easy to handle feeding system courtesy of a friend from Independence, OR who was a commercial beekeeper in days gone by. Here come the photos!
I'm Back!
After a hiatus of almost four years, I'm back to share experiences--both with backyard beekeeping and also about my more recent rediscovery of Divine Love, a spiritual path to which I've been moving all my life. I hope you enjoy what I share and use or lose whatever works best for you!
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Warre hive seed comb moved into 2nd box
Today's weather was perfect for opening the hive and moving seed comb from top box into second box as suggested in the Warre hive conversation--see yesterday's notes.
First, I removed and set aside the top box; many bees on top of bars in second box and bearding down into the open. I sprayed with water so they would move further down and not fly.
Next, I removed the 3rd bar from the right, west side, of the second box.
Then, I opened cloth cover on the furthermost right, west side, of top box and attempted to remove comb. Comb broke off about 1.5" down; fortunately comb was secured to ends of hive so remaining comb remained in place. Unfortunately, this was in the middle of a nursery and one can see three undeveloped bees (white). I thought the end bars might not have brood--I was wrong. This indicates to me that that top box is overcrowded.
Lastly, I inserted seed comb into third bar space in second box and closed hive.
Sadly, three bees were crushed in the process when placing top box on table. I used water in a spray bottle to simulate rain which makes bees want to get under cover; prefer not to use smoke which means forest fire and bees gorge on honey as a precaution for evacuation.
Added 1:1 spring syrup at back opening in case they want to use it to build new comb in lower box.
Now I wait and check hive in a few days to see if 'seed' comb brings comb building to second box.
First, I removed and set aside the top box; many bees on top of bars in second box and bearding down into the open. I sprayed with water so they would move further down and not fly.
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| Top of 2nd box with seed comb third from right. |
Next, I removed the 3rd bar from the right, west side, of the second box.
Then, I opened cloth cover on the furthermost right, west side, of top box and attempted to remove comb. Comb broke off about 1.5" down; fortunately comb was secured to ends of hive so remaining comb remained in place. Unfortunately, this was in the middle of a nursery and one can see three undeveloped bees (white). I thought the end bars might not have brood--I was wrong. This indicates to me that that top box is overcrowded.
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| Opened top box with seed comb removed--partial comb that is. |
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| Close up of top of broken comb with white, undeveloped bees. |
Lastly, I inserted seed comb into third bar space in second box and closed hive.
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| Seed comb being installed in second box. |
Sadly, three bees were crushed in the process when placing top box on table. I used water in a spray bottle to simulate rain which makes bees want to get under cover; prefer not to use smoke which means forest fire and bees gorge on honey as a precaution for evacuation.
Added 1:1 spring syrup at back opening in case they want to use it to build new comb in lower box.
Now I wait and check hive in a few days to see if 'seed' comb brings comb building to second box.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Mid June 2015 status of Bend hives
A couple of things are happening...bees are thriving in both hives, new bees doing orientation flights, drones appearing, and workers foraging and returning with pollen and nectar--just as it should be!
Top Bar Hive: Lowered the bottom board of the top bar hive for ventilation several days ago because of the warm weather and left it lowered. Noticed that bees were staying on the board and not going into the hive; looked again this morning and see that they are building piles of propolis--I'm guessing in an effort to seal the bottom. So, I will clean the board and replace it securely so there is no opening at the bottom and will leave it in place until really hot weather when bees are settling on the outside during the nights.
I see a few mites--not enough to treat at this time.
Also, the bees have greatly reduced their 1:1 syrup intake and I shall stop providing it in a few days I expect. The comb building had reached the 14th bar last week so I added more bars, for a total of 22 now. That should be adequate; however, I will check the hive in a few days to be certain.
Warre Hive: The bees are not moving out of the top box. I have asked for input from local Warre hive owners and was offered an online site to check for information. Although I was unable to login because I'm not a member of Yahoo, I did find another site with useful information about "false bottoms" in Warre hives. It seems one should 'seed' the next lower box with a comb from the top box. I will do this soon. Otherwise, it will be as the Independence hive--a pollinating and swarming hive, which is fine, too. The bees in that hive never moved down during the three years they colonized the hybrid hive; now I'm thinking it probably wasn't the box--it was just their nature. Wish I had done more research on this earlier. If this 'seeding' works, perhaps I'll put the hybrid hive back in use?!
This is the conversation I found: http://www.beesource.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-270466.html.
These hives, built by Ken in Independence of Western Red Cedar, are garden works of art--they have not warped and look lovely in the yard here in Bend. I added blue vinyl roof covers for a bit of matching color.
All is well.
Top Bar Hive: Lowered the bottom board of the top bar hive for ventilation several days ago because of the warm weather and left it lowered. Noticed that bees were staying on the board and not going into the hive; looked again this morning and see that they are building piles of propolis--I'm guessing in an effort to seal the bottom. So, I will clean the board and replace it securely so there is no opening at the bottom and will leave it in place until really hot weather when bees are settling on the outside during the nights.
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| Bottom board with propolis piles |
Also, the bees have greatly reduced their 1:1 syrup intake and I shall stop providing it in a few days I expect. The comb building had reached the 14th bar last week so I added more bars, for a total of 22 now. That should be adequate; however, I will check the hive in a few days to be certain.
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| Bar 14 comb |
Warre Hive: The bees are not moving out of the top box. I have asked for input from local Warre hive owners and was offered an online site to check for information. Although I was unable to login because I'm not a member of Yahoo, I did find another site with useful information about "false bottoms" in Warre hives. It seems one should 'seed' the next lower box with a comb from the top box. I will do this soon. Otherwise, it will be as the Independence hive--a pollinating and swarming hive, which is fine, too. The bees in that hive never moved down during the three years they colonized the hybrid hive; now I'm thinking it probably wasn't the box--it was just their nature. Wish I had done more research on this earlier. If this 'seeding' works, perhaps I'll put the hybrid hive back in use?!
This is the conversation I found: http://www.beesource.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-270466.html.
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| underside view of top box; bees not building comb in lower box |
All is well.
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