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

==============

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!!

All's quiet...

End of the year, winter is here, and the bees seem to be faring well. Occasionally a few fly out when the weather is mild with no rain; we are generally in the mid 40's to low 50's F during the daytime which is too cool for them to stir.

The hive is situated on the north side of the house and shaded from the low winter sun. That is a good thing because there is not a great fluctuation of temperature from sun shining on the hive to cause warming alternating with cooling, which leads to additional condensation in the hive. My main concern for overwintering has been condensation; I'm anxious to open the hive during the warmer days of spring to see what happened in that respect.

An industrious spider keeps building a web just above the entrance to the hive, capturing a bee or two every few days. I counter with sweeping the web away but am not always in time to prevent the snagging of bees. Nor does dispatching the resident spider in the attic seem to help; ahh, that's nature.

A skunk periodically visits the hive to feast on the dead bees that fall beneath the hive. I've tried to place a piece of white plastic on the ground below the hive to see the number of dead bees being removed from the hive but each night it is pushed aside. Although I've not seen the skunk itself, there's evidence of its digging in the area for bugs, which is a good thing so I welcome its night foraging...as long as it doesn't decide to live under the deck.

Tried to photograph bees just inside the hive entrance, but the camera lens fogged from the inside heat. Can see a portion of the bees clustering on the comb in their warming ball. No sound can be heard from inside.

I'd like to look at the bottom board to see how many varroa mites there are but this is not the time to open the hive nor the time to treat for mites, if one was going to...which I am not at this point. Various opinions by TBH beekeepers is that mites do not grow to such numbers in this type of hive to be a major problem. We shall see.

Days are getting longer, and it will be only a few weeks before weather warms, dandelions bloom, and bees fly. As horrific as it would have seemed only a year ago, I am spreading dandelion seeds here and there in the garden and yard...they are the first source of pollen in our area. Bees bringing pollen back to the hive is the first indication that the brood is happening as it should! Happy New Year to all of us.

Beekeeper Class

Class on November 14 at Jacqueline’s was quite informative; she shared that she has a psychic connection with bees. Although it was a basics class, I learned a few things…as usual...and will share them below.

As she went through the life stages of the bee, Jacqueline said that on day 16 the newer bees set their magnetic compass (GPS in our vernacular) during their orientation flight: they fly to a spot a few feet from the hive and hold for a few seconds, move to another spot, and another holding in place each time before returning to the hive. She observed that they do this at 11a and 1p.

Also, drones are not lazy and only for mating. I already knew they helped warm and cool the hive. Jacqueline told us that drones also sing to the babies in their own hive and are welcomed into other honey bee hives whereas any other bee is barred from entering; the drones then go to the nursery area and emit a “droning” sound. There’s a theory that they are sharing ‘bee history/life information’ with the new bees—what a wonderful concept.

Jacqueline related a winter time experience in which the beekeeper thought the bees were dead because of the extreme cold, harvested some of the honey and called her to come get the remainder, and placed the hive in the basement out of the weather. When Jacqueline arrived, the bees were moving around—they had been in “torpor” which is a cold weather survival mode. She and the beekeeper reassembled the hive, left honey that hadn’t been taken, placed it back outside, and now hope for the best; she is not optimistic that the hive can survive because of the disturbance and without the full complement of winter honey.

Opening the brood area is not advised at any time—even during the hot days of summer. Brood needs a 95° environment and even a slight dip in temperature stresses the larvae and pupae. They might hatch and do fine if there are not additional stressors but are weaker than they would have been.  I’ll definitely not be looking at brood from now on unless it is critical to do so. One can tell if brood is doing well by observing hive entrance; if pollen coming in, queen is laying and brood is fine.

We heard about “emergency queens” which is where the current queen has disappeared or has major problems and it is imperative that new one be established. The bees will take one of the newest laid eggs, revamp the cell to be vertical instead of horizontal and feed the new larva royal jelly continuously. This is in contrast to an intended queen where the cell is built vertical initially. The emergency queen then follows the normal mating procedure but is replaced within a few months by an intended queen who can be viable up to five years. I believe something similar happened in my hive. The queen cells found June 17 had me thinking that the hive was about to swarm, but it was really too new and didn’t swarm. And we found an unmarked queen on July 23 instead of the white dotted queen that came with the package in April. Jacqueline agreed that may have been the case as package queens are artificially inseminated and could be considered an emergency queen. So, in the end it appears this hive is actually quite healthy and further on the road to being as nature intended.

Jacqueline indicated that moisture is a problem in our area, most often mildew shows up in the spring when there are warm days that cause more heat in the open hive space and condensation happens when the outside cold returns. I plan to insulate the attic of the hive to have a more gradual temperature contrast in an attempt to prevent condensation.

Although it’s a 100 mi drive to Battle Ground, WA, the trip was worthwhile and Jody and I plan to attend Jacqueline’s classes when possible.

A late fall hive check after all...

Mild, overcast day, slight breeze, 55° and bees are flying more than they have in the past week. Probably cleansing flights, although there are blossoms in the yard and nectar/pollen to be had; this is not the time. They should be in their hibernation mode by now.

Opened the end of the hive to see if comb on B14 was empty and I could remove the bar to show Ken how bees were attaching comb to the wider V on the bar. B14 was empty on the left side but had capped honey filling almost half the comb on the right side. Good news, actually, that they are not decimating their winter food supply as I thought might be happening when I last observed the combs on Oct 19 and found the left side of B14 empty. B13 left side also had a good amount of capped honey remaining. So, B14 left in place and top of hive closed.

B14 right side

B13 left side

Then I unfastened the securing straps of the bottom board, which had been put in place last week to keep the board tight against the hive for winter, and removed the bottom board for a look there.

Lots of debris on the board: bits of casing, bee carcasses and bits, and mites—yes, mites have now been seen. Will have to keep an eye on the number. By the nature of the natural comb cell size in the TBH (top bar hive) the mites are supposed to be scraped off the backs of the bees as they move into the cells…we shall see.  It appears the bees are not able to remove dead bees and other debris from the bottom board as easily as they did when board was not sealed. While I had the top space open two bees came out through the opening each with a dead bee in tow; maybe the bottom board should not be sealed—our winters are temperate, Phil Chandler in England (http://www.biobees.com/index.php) has mesh bottoms in his TBHs, and bees like a clean environment so dead bees and debris might be a stressor for them. Jody and I plan to attend a beekeeping class Monday evening—that will be a good question to explore with Jacqueline (http://www.friendlyhaven.com/classes.html).

Not being sure about the best way to handle the bottom board, I returned it to the closed position. No detectable moisture in the hive at this time; that is another concern I have because of our wet winters here and the fact that mildew was in the hive last May. Lots of questions to be addressed during this first year of beekeeping…fortunately there are people who willingly share their experiences.