Author Topic: Alaska Bee Keeping  (Read 79498 times)

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Offline apisbees

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #100 on: August 12, 2017, 07:56:01 am »
It does not need to be heavy solid wire the 1/8" poly with the wire strand woven through it will work just as well It is not the wire that is going to stop the bear but the shock he gets from it.
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #101 on: August 12, 2017, 02:25:16 pm »
Jeff,
How do the long nights of winter effect the charge of the fence? 
If the charging is from solar energy do the few daylight hours provide enough electricity to maintain the charge during all the dark hours. 
If the charge is from a battery, does the cold reduce the available current below needed operational levels?
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #102 on: August 12, 2017, 06:58:00 pm »
During the coldest part of winter till spring the brown and black bears Hibernate so the battery's can be disconnected and stored in a warmer environment. Freezing weather is hard on battery's
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #103 on: August 13, 2017, 03:05:15 am »
It does not need to be heavy solid wire the 1/8" poly with the wire strand woven through it will work just as well It is not the wire that is going to stop the bear but the shock he gets from it.

Good point. I will scrounge around and see what I might have. Perhaps I might have enough of the 11 gauge to make one more round.

And yes the bears go to bed here around late October when the ground starts freezing. The lack of food is what triggers the hibernation. the berries get a killing frost then and the salmon are done.

Right now we are are at 16.5 hrs of daylight . Gets dark around11:30pm I see my bees working till 11:00 pm on warm summer sunny nights. the bumbles and YJ's stay out till after 1:30 am.

Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #104 on: August 13, 2017, 03:11:03 am »
I have been finding a few larva on the flight deck. I need to treat these nucs. Not sure they are big enough for MAQS yet might use just one ? Looks like hygienic behavior since they are hauling them out.



I did get a OAV wand and wood bleach, how much of the powder would I use ? and is it better?


Offline Lburou

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #105 on: August 13, 2017, 09:11:01 am »
Jeff, the OAV treatment dose is one gram per full sized super.  In Europe, it is my understanding that it is legal to use oxalic acid treatments with honey supers on...But not in the USA.  I have taken a piece of plywood and put it on top of the super with honey you plan to leave for the winter and then temporarily put the honey supers back on top of that for the treatment.  Remove the plywood when the treatment is complete.  Or some variation from that.

The drone pupa on the landing board could signal hygienic behavior, or the end of summer, or, may not have much significance at all.  As long as the pupa isn't hard, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on it. If you have a smartphone, download the free 'Bee Health' App.  It will give you a leg up as you work through the possibilities.

 I wouldn't use formic on a NUC myself.   HTH   :)
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #106 on: August 13, 2017, 01:38:46 pm »
Thanks Lee. I treated the two big hives with MAQS right before the flow, so about a month ago. I was going to treat again before winter sometime.
The Nucs have not been treated yet, those need it soon. The MAQS say they need like 6 frames of bees to safely treat. They might be getting there.

Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #107 on: August 21, 2017, 08:01:12 pm »
Well I did my first oav last week on the nucs. I guess I should do another here soon?

After last weeks inspection of the two big hives ,it seams they quit drawing wax and didn't build out the fourth deep so I removed it. I also noticed they both turned the second and third deep of honey, into mostly capped frames of brood. (Was not my intention) The bottom deeps on both hives are just  pollen and recently hatched out brood and empty comb.

It was 32 here the other night and we got a frost. The fireweed are pretty much done, some thing looks like Queen Anns lace and a few others, one looks like Golden rod,but not sure they are on it or not.

Our temps are about 40-55 f fall has come a bit early here this year. so I am figuring I better pull the supers that don't have much of anything in them, and feed them all they will take for a month ? or wait and see if they bring in any thing yet? 

Also anyone have a good place to get winter wrap material ? I will be wrapping three deeps and a shim with a medium quilt box.

Thanks for all the help so far, kept my bees alive and hope to have them alive in the spring to take advantage of the  Cranberry and Blueberry flow.




Offline Perry

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #108 on: August 21, 2017, 08:22:20 pm »
You must have taken a photography class, those are fantastic pics! :yes:
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #109 on: August 21, 2017, 11:09:38 pm »
"Also anyone have a good place to get winter wrap material ? I will be wrapping three deeps and a shim with a medium quilt box."

hi jeff,
this is what i use to wrap two deeps in (and the wrap one can also purchase for 3 deeps).  i also use a vent box that i sometimes use in summer months and place 2 inches of foam insulation(the pink stuff, whatever it is......polyethylene?) in it under the outer cover come winter months.  works for me.

winter quilt wrap for 2 deep:
B & B Honey Farm Colony Quilt 2 deep

if you are interested in this stuff, i do have some of it for 3 colony deeps.........just can't remember how many i have? maybe 3 or 4 (can't remember)? i'd be willing to gift and send whatever i have up to you. i did an experiment for a couple years keeping 3 deeps. i have pulled the box out i store them in a number of times and was thinking i would cut them to fit 2 deeps but have plenty for a 2 deep configuration, so the 3 deep quilts are and have been stored in a box and still in great shape. let me know.
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Offline Lburou

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #110 on: August 21, 2017, 11:51:42 pm »
...so I am figuring I better pull the supers that don't have much of anything in them, and feed them all they will take for a month ? or wait and see if they bring in anything yet?...
That sounds like a plan to me.  But, keep in mind that bees don't take much sugar syrup below 50 degrees F, (I suppose you figured that out last year though).  Did you try feeding granular sugar or fondant last winter? It seems like you made some fondant...
Lee_Burough
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #111 on: August 22, 2017, 02:23:18 am »
Thanks Perry, just a hobby, its a old Kodak point and shoot , great little camera. No formal training.


And thanks Riverbee. Very generous offer. I  was looking at those wraps but they were out. I would be happy to pay for a couple of them three deep, plus flat rate shipping if your willing to send them.

And how did your three deep experiment work out ? would they have made more honey if I would of stacked medium supers instead of a deep ? it seamed they were filling the first one pretty fast, then stopped when I added a deep, but did build that out and lay it with brood.

And lburou. I have been warming syrup every morning all spring from April till about June , and now I am warming it every morning for the two nucs been about two weeks now, in the 40s at night. I guess I will pour the sugar to the big hives in quart jars with a bunch of holes.

 And yes I did make some round sugar bricks with tin pie pans, I will add those again too when I wrap them.

 I also noticed they were hauling out drone brood today.

Offline apisbees

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #112 on: August 22, 2017, 08:17:22 am »
Whether or not you over winter 2 or 3 high will depends on how much winter stores are needed to over winter on. This is influenced by how much and for how long the bees will take syrup in the fall and how long the winter is till there is forage or feeding can be done for the bees. Also as more insulating is done to the hive in general the bees will consume less honey to generate heat. So a 2 super hive may not have enough stores saved up to over winter successfully when left ill prepared, but wrapped and insulated the hive will come through the winter with out a problem. 
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #113 on: August 22, 2017, 01:23:44 pm »
Thanks Apis. at this point I am not sure where I will end up but I am shooting for three deeps on two of the hives. but your right, I still need to see where they end up at the end of feeding season, as with the nucs ,I am trying to decide to split one of the three deeps to supplement the empty space in the nucs.

I am planning on putting a deep underneath them,  to get them off the ground for winter.

Offline Lburou

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #114 on: August 22, 2017, 05:07:26 pm »
Jeff, are you on permafrost?  What is the temperature if you dig down three or four feet?
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #115 on: August 23, 2017, 01:20:46 am »
"And thanks Riverbee. Very generous offer. I  was looking at those wraps but they were out. I would be happy to pay for a couple of them three deep, plus flat rate shipping if your willing to send them.

And how did your three deep experiment work out ? would they have made more honey if I would of stacked medium supers instead of a deep ? it seamed they were filling the first one pretty fast, then stopped when I added a deep, but did build that out and lay it with brood."


jeff, i am certain i have two, i will dig them out this weekend. will send you a pm.  i won't ever go back to 3 deeps. and no problem, if someone else can use them can send off to you.

the 3 three deep thing really is based on the university of minnesota's practice of overwintering. (dr. marla spivak) publication; 'BEEKEEPING IN NORTHERN CLIMATES.'  the three deeps  are for brood rearing and the third deep converted to honey storage come fall/winter months for the bees consumption and to move up into. medium supers are added to harvest honey.  the original concept of this was based on dr. basil furgala's research and practice........he referred to it as the 2 queen horizontal system, although 2 queens were not in the three deeps, the three deeps were divided into two units in the spring.  lol, i am keeping this short and not going into detail!
many beeks keep three deeps here in the midwest to try and follow the u of m's practice, but i really think they don't  follow the exact practice as outlined or taught. it is very management intensive. 

i did find with a good queen, good honey/pollen flows, i did well.  without this, plus other challenges it did not work for me.  what i would say to anyone, keep to two deeps, add mediums for honey supers.  we have had some members here who have kept 3 deeps; two deeps for brood and 3rd deep for honey for them to take off. if it works for you in your environment, great!

i like to stick to two deeps, and add mediums for me to harvest the extra honey. our weather and blooms have been so up and down; dearths, rain, floods, etc......also, deeps are too heavy for me to lift off and in some years the bees would be hard pressed to fill a third deep of honey because of aforementioned weather conditions.  two deeps give me the best wintering than 3, even if i have to add a feeding shim. 

then there is finding a queen in 3 deeps when need be............... :D :D :D

overwintering 3 deeps? you must have a good adult bee population covering 10-15 frames or more and a very  productive queen. mite, pest, disease free, and stores packed in that third deep to get them to your spring. 

even under the 'right' conditions and our 'right efforts' there is no guarantee.  learning curve can sometimes really be crappy as to what works and then we figure out what we think works, and then......? ??!!!

lol, just do what we do and keep rolling with the curves!
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #116 on: August 23, 2017, 01:04:06 pm »
Lee, I did think of that but the ground is very rocky and might be permafrost as well. not sure it would work anyway, we have so much water running on top the ground during the snowmelt, that it would fill any hole and drown the hives, or entomb them in ice.

And thanks Riverbee. I appreciate you doing the experiment and sharing the outcome. I am hoping the three deeps gets them through winter. the bottom box is all pollen so its not really three deeps of bees, and they are laying and eating their way through the third deep so I agree and don't think this is the best management style, unless you want more bees.

I think by spring, if they make it ,I will remove the bottom deep if still empty and keep double deeps instead.
Thanks again !
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #117 on: September 13, 2017, 02:01:21 am »
 Well after closer inspection, The third deep I thought was laid with brood was actually honey with browner cappings in the middle ,compared to the outside of the frame that was nice and white cappings.




Sooo... I stole a couple of partial frames to try out my extractor. :)





More than getting  the honey, I wanted the experience of robbing the bees to see how they react, and the extracting, because I never got that far last year.

P.S> Fireweed honey is to die for ! it is very floral almost like roses smell, very sweet and has several after taste. its pretty special stuff, I have never had any honey like it. My favorite was that acacia honey until now.



This is the other reason they call it fireweed.






Offline efmesch

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #118 on: September 13, 2017, 10:43:57 am »
The color of that fireweed honey looks quite intriguing but not consistent.  Do I "read" the pictures correctly?--the first and fifth bottles are liquid honey whereas the middle three have crystallized honey?  If I am corrrect, I would suggest that you try stirring the honey crystals well and then place the bottles in the fridge for a week or two.  That should give you what is called "creamed honey".  It spreads nicely, like cream and doesn't drip or make a mess like usual honey.

Considering the great progress you have made since the beginning of this year's season, I have the feeling that it won't take long before you "outgrow" your three-frame extractor.  Get ready to upgrade  :goodjob:
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: Alaska Bee Keeping
« Reply #119 on: September 13, 2017, 12:52:35 pm »
Thanks Efmesch.

The lighting has an effect on the jars in the picture, its all liquid and the same color, must be a shadow.
And yes I hope I out grow the three frame extractor, it worked pretty good though once I got things warmed up, the first spin nothing came out, was too cold.

I did an experiment making creamed honey out of some crystalized honey I had, and it worked great. I will make more for my own use when ever I get any again.