Author Topic: Alaska Bee Keeping (Read 80427 times)

yukonjeff · « **Reply #280 on:** December 26, 2018, 05:21:09 pm »

Thanks guys for the responses.
As far as mites. I have been treating without testing. Truth be told, I have just done my first sugar roll this past fall

I rolled both hives in the same sugar. Not sure if that effected it. but I think...(I might have saw) one dead mite.

Every summer I have been treating with MAQs in early July right before the flow and this past summer I did a MAQ treatment, and a follow up a week later with the wand.
Also hit them again in late October, right before I buttoned them up for the winter. I will check in the spring (if they survive) and see what the count is for sure. Would be cool to be treatment free someday.

Lburou · « **Reply #281 on:** December 27, 2018, 06:30:29 pm »

Jeff, I would hate to be a mite in one of your hives! That, is a very good mite regimine the way I see it. I treat with only occasional monitoring too.

yukonjeff · « **Reply #282 on:** January 01, 2019, 07:31:00 pm »

Thanks.
It would be nice to clean them up completely,if I could.

Well It warmed up to +26 F so I decided to check and add sugar bricks.

I did use smoke, and a veil.a few did come out at me.

The first one still had a good amount of sugar, and honey, from what I could see. But I pushed it all forward and added more bricks.

The Nuc I made in June.
Sorry for the bad picture, I didn't take two. They were clustering up to the screened feed hole for some reason. I added more bricks for them too.
I notice some poop on the sugar bricks and realize they had about half a pollen patty from the fall I left in. Hope it don't get worse. I see droppings on the upper entrance so some are coming out to use the bathroom.

Now if they can just hang on another three and a half months that would be great. We don't get any cleansing flights at all until mid to late April.

yukonjeff · « **Reply #283 on:** January 30, 2019, 02:03:44 am »

While the lower 48 is gripped with severe cold temps, We had 40 degree temps here in western Alaska

So it was time to check hives and add a sugar brick, its been almost a month.

Hive #1 Looks good. This queen will be going on her third season of she survives winter. I need to re-queen this year for sure. She ,makes good gentle bees, easy on stores. I want one of her daughters if I can get one made.

The Nuc from this summer is having some issues , I see some spotting on some of the sugar bricks, I had left on a pollen patty this fall and that could be the culprit. Hope they pull through. They look ok.

I sat and watched bees coming out and getting vertigo and crashing upside down in the snow. So I spread ashes again and watched to see if it helped, And Yup ,sure did, they were able to circle like it was summer time, but then gain altitude and go off looking for flowers....and then die.

So it looks to me, that these are in fact bees flying off to die away from the hive. Sure is disheartening to watch your precious few bees fly off to their certain death, but that's life's cycle.

I hope enough are left to keep the hive alive until mid- late April

efmesch · « **Reply #284 on:** January 30, 2019, 02:23:07 am »

We're all rooting for you and your bees!!!

yukonjeff · « **Reply #285 on:** February 24, 2019, 11:08:34 pm »

Thanks efmesch, seams to be working so far.

It was a nice day here, up in the mid 30s f and my bees got in a cleansing flight. A lot of kamikaze's too. I hope there is enough left for a decent sized cluster.

I am trying to figure out when I can start feeding pollen patty here. Like to replace some bees when its a good time.

Barbarian · « **Reply #286 on:** February 25, 2019, 03:50:39 pm »

With kamikaze bees, I take the view that there will be less bees in the hive, and so the stores will last longer.

yukonjeff · « **Reply #287 on:** March 17, 2019, 01:53:35 pm »

Thanks Barbarian. I try to think the same, It makes me feel a little better.

Hive #1

Hive #2

Come on Spring.

Bakersdozen · « **Reply #288 on:** March 17, 2019, 07:52:14 pm »

Your willows are farther along than mine and I am in Kansas!

Lburou · « **Reply #289 on:** March 17, 2019, 10:07:37 pm »

Quote from: efmesch on January 30, 2019, 02:23:07 am

We're all rooting for you and your bees!!!

Yes, that is a fact!

yukonjeff · « **Reply #290 on:** March 21, 2019, 12:28:52 am »

Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

Well we had a warm afternoon, and I pulled the tops off to dry up the grass in the quilt boxes.
As you can see it stayed pretty dry in the center where the feed hole is, and damp on the inside walls, from frost build up. I think foam lining would fix that. Might try that next winter.

I figured since they were open, I might as well stick a warm jar of syrup on for a couple hours.

Lburou · « **Reply #291 on:** March 21, 2019, 12:59:14 am »

Jeff, when is your average last frost date?

yukonjeff · « **Reply #292 on:** March 21, 2019, 01:47:50 pm »

We cant safely plant a garden until Memorial day here. We can get frost anytime in May.

I have a question about pollen patties. Do we wait for flying weather, or is it ok to put them in. I don't want them making a mess of the frames if they are locked in for another couple weeks or longer. Is it better to wait ?

I plan on making my own again, Using dried egg, soy flour, sugar, brewers yeast, canola oil,and pollen.

Lburou · « **Reply #293 on:** March 21, 2019, 03:11:13 pm »

I'm not sure about your best timing on pollen substitute Jeff - because you still have weeks and weeks remaining with bees weathered in their hives.. Apis may have some cold weather insights that may help. Ian Steppler, (stepplerfarms@hotmail.com), of Miami Ontario Canada would have some proven ideas about pollen substitutes over winter.

He overwinters 1,000-1,500 hives inside a barn. I've heard that Ian will answer an email. When you contact him, invite him to visit here once in a while. HTH

yukonjeff · « **Reply #294 on:** March 21, 2019, 03:54:34 pm »

Thanks Lee

I do follow Ian on youtube. He is a wealth of good info. I am waiting for him to put his bees outside. I imagine he will put a patty on soon after.

I guess your right. I better wait. We still have some winter left yet. Was hoping to replace a few of the dead As soon as its safe to do so.

yukonjeff · « **Reply #295 on:** April 28, 2019, 01:39:21 am »

Well spring has sprung here and I had a chance to dig in and downsize my hive configuration. Both hives appear to have made it, and both had about a half a deep of honey/sugar syrup left. The Nuc is pretty small. Also was hoping for a frame or two of brood , but no brood to speak of in either hive. That has me worried, as one queen is going on her third season and had just a smattering of capped brood here and there. The Nuc didn't have any.
Well I cleaned out the dead bees, changed bottom boards. and gave the Nuc a couple shakes of bees from the bigger hive. There is pollen coming in both hives today, so hope that will induce the queens to get with the program.

I am debating combining the Nuc with a queen excluder and see if it helps. I did reduce the inside with a partition board.

The dead.

Hope you all have a great season.

neillsayers · « **Reply #296 on:** April 28, 2019, 07:13:06 pm »

Great news, Jeff! Glad to hear from you.

Lburou · « **Reply #297 on:** April 28, 2019, 07:36:40 pm »

Jeff, it is welcome news to have your hives alive after months and months of no fly weather! Congratulations are in order, you are doing a lot of things the right way.

You can depend on protein to stimulate the queen to begin laying for the coming spring. I hope you can take some of that excess honey soon. We are all pulling for you.

yukonjeff · « **Reply #298 on:** April 28, 2019, 08:02:35 pm »

Thanks guys. Happy just to still have bees alive this spring. I would love to take advantage of the spring berry flow if I had enough bees. see if she gets laying here soon. The main fireweed flow don't start until mid July so have plenty of tie to make bees yet. I hope.

apisbees · « **Reply #299 on:** April 29, 2019, 12:14:36 am »

A little late but note the date of when natural pollen starts to be brought into the hive and next year start feeding the sub 3 to 4 weeks before This will allow the bees to raise one round of bees before the natural pollen comes in. some pollen's do not contain a high enough protein to raise good brood so feeding extra protein sub in the spring thru dandelion bloom will give the hive the boost it needs. Dandelion pollen is low in the proteins needed to make good bee bread. Look to see that you have different pollens being brought in during the dandelion bloom.