Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Yankee11 on August 05, 2014, 05:18:26 pm
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I'll get some more pictures when in full bloom. It should be a sight to see.
I know of 6 hives less than a 1/4 mile away that are fixing to be very busy.
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I AM SOO JEALOUS!
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They look so wonderful. Thanks for sharing (bragging) The bees will do well there.
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You are one lucky soul!
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They say jealousy will get me nowhere but then again been there several times 8) :D
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That's Not Fair Yankee! You're getting all the good stuff this season! ;) 8)
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Ha, as far as being lucky,
My old college football coach used to tell me after I made a good play " even a blind hog can find an acorn every now and then".
He had a way of busting your bubble. :)
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Bad coach right there Bad Bad Coach! You should have given him a bloody nose for that.
I'm tickled to death with your finds and success this season. The honey you sent me is going to keep me healthy all winter long! I only used it on toast once as a mug clinker to you. The rest of that healing honey will go into my system on an empty stomach like a big vitamin pill :occasion14:
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Lol Jen,
Glad you are enjoying it.
Well guess what on the sunflower fields. Drove by today and a truck was out there so I had to stop. Low and behold it's and old friend of mine from way back. Man o Man. This is a test run for much much bigger plans next summer. If successful he plans on several hundred acres next summer. AND he is planting Canola after the sunflowers.
He needs a beekeeper and bees, and I just got the job.
As a test run, I am moving 2 hives(maybe 4) tonight and set right at the edge of the sunflowers tonight. I have 4 hives that I just had to put the first super on last night here at the house. They are traveling tonight.
WooHoo. this should be fun for the next 4 weeks.
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Oh, and just texted him to let him know that Sunflowers and Canola need 1 hive per acre for pollination.
His response was that I need move hives. Lol.
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Super Cool Yankee! Now, you're getting paid for these hives to be out there?
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Not yet, as this is a test run for both of us.
We talked for about an hour and if it all works out then there will be much bigger plans. Sunflowers and Canola not normally grown here so we will see how it goes. He is planning on extracting his own Canola oil and Sunflower oil. Right here, 6 miles from my house.
So for now this is a test. But hey, so was beekeeping for me 3 years ago.
He said he wants to grow the canola then follow that planting with sunflower in the same fields. They do that here now with winter wheat then soybeans.
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Remarkable! Good Luck with that venture. Would be nice down the road to see pics of your hives in the canola fields ;D
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He needs a beekeeper and bees, and I just got the job.
You should buy a lottery ticket! This is your lucky day! :yes:
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Lol Slowmodem.
I got 2 moved tonight. They are sitting 6 feet from the edge of the sunflower field. double deeps with a super of empty pulled comb. I have 2 more hives here at the house that are double deeps with an almost filled super sitting on top. I have talked myself into moving them tomorrow night. :)
I only have 5 supers left in garage and no more pulled comb.
I think I will have about 40 supers out and no way I can make it with one more extraction. I am going to have to extract and set these back out. We are still a month away from Goldenrod starting to bloom. I was wanting to wait and pull all supers when goldenrod started blooming and let them fill their upper deep with goldenrod to overwinter on.
The hives out on the cotton fields are going nuts. That cotton was blooming on 4th of July and is still blooming (4 weeks). The other cotton fields have just started blooming last week. I have these hives 3 supers high already. I swear they had an empty super/pulled comb Sunday and today Wed they had almost filled 6 to 7 frames. Is this possible?
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Yankee, I have extracted a full deep, returned it to the hive, then extracted it again in 10 days. They can move fast when the goods are out there.
PS. Congrats on the happenings lately.
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We are still a month away from Goldenrod starting to bloom. I was wanting to wait and pull all supers when goldenrod started blooming and let them fill their upper deep with goldenrod to overwinter on.
I was looking in the yard yesterday and it looks like the goldenrod is getting ready to start here very soon. I see some yellow wanting to burst out.
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I pride myself on not being envious of others, and then Yankee11 comes up with this utopia situation, and makes me think "why not me Lord." Then I remember that the Lord has me on probation. :):) Seriously, the sunflower field alone looks like mana from Heaven. Good on you Yankee.
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LOL Shooter...
And LOL @ Jen too... I got kicked off the football team for knocking teeth out with a helmet.. Unfortunately I wasnt wearing it I was holding it.. Fortunately the wrestling coach snagged me two days later. Said all that anger and aggression was good when wrestling headgear is so small and light...
(Wasnt the coaches teeth but should have been)
The sunflowers I have 6 hives on are in multiple states of blooming. SOme heads are nearing the finishing stages and others are JUST starting to open up. I can SEE the nectar being secreted on the face of many of those flowers and am interested in seeing how the hives I have there do.
I was looking at Goldenrod as well, and see the beginnings of the buds.. We got a tenth of an inch of rain last week and about half an inch yesterday and last night.. I did the happy dance in the rain last night.. (after I had some rum) This should boost the nectar flow. Last year it was horribly dry with no rain for four months. So I am thanking mother nature and pretending old man Murphy does not exist.
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you should be aware Yankee that sunflower honey granulates very quickly at the first cold snap. we use to see a good bit of sunflower honey in North Dakota. Made a yellowish honey and you did need to get it off and extracted before the first cold weather. much after that experience I did think that it would have made a natural product for spun on creamed honey production.
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Well I could not resist and moved 2 more hives from the house tonight tonight. Have 4 double deeps with one super on top now. The super has pulled comb.
Tec, I have been reading about Sunflower and Canola Honey. Both seem to granulate quickly. one thing though, I have been to a couple large farmers markets over last several weeks and did not see a single jar of Creamed Honey. I would like to see if I can get some started and sell. Creamed Honey, it's less messy on toast. I actually like
Is spun Honey the same?
I tried some of the Honey last weekend from the cotton fields, Very light color and light tasting. Didn't have any Bite to it.
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Yes spun, creamed, and fine granulated are all the same. Some to the honeys that granulate quickly can at time granulate quicker and revert to creating there own crystal structure instead of following the crystal structure of the seed honey that is added. this can be over come somewhat by adding more seed up to 15% and holding the honey at the optimal crystallization temperature, or even blending of honeys to achieve better results. Creamed honey done well is one of my favorites, but once the crystals become gritty or sandy feeling on your tong the appeal is lost.
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Move complete.
How is this for having groceries in your front door?
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You better get that saw going. You are going to need a lot more supers.
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AAAHAAhahaahhah! Those last two pics just crack me up! How can ya not LOVE sunflowers! Lucky Yankee Lucky Bees!
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PFFTTT, fly 3 miles for pollen/nectar.
Not my bees. :) That's to much unproductive time flying.
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MmHm.... There ya go bragging again... had just about enough of that Mr. !
I guess I'll just have to get my honey from you this winter... cause mine is ALL PINK!!
:D ;)
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pretty cool pics yankee, thank you!
wish we had sunflower fields nearby, but we don't. it was a good year for sunflowers in north dakota and montana this year, saw lots of sunflowers and hives where we have not seen them in the past few years because of the drought.
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You better get that saw going. You are going to need a lot more supers.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
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Lol.
I am just trying to imagine a bee flying 1 to 3 miles back and forth, then look at this field sitting 3 ft in front of these hives. How many trips can a bee make back and forth here in the same time a bee having to fly 1 to 3 miles.
It's only gonna take about 12 bees to fill a super. :laugh:
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12 bees to fill a super... so lets see, if you have 50000 bees and 4? 6? hives there? Good heavens.... He is going to strip every tree in north America for the wood!
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Ya! Well! If Yank is gonna have that much honey overage, I think all of us buddy's here on the forum should get a jar of sunflower honey from him just because it's in his heart to do so. I mean.. What's he gonna do with 2000 pounds of sunflower honey for cryin out loud!
Oh, and Scott, a jar of honey from Iowa would be just peachy.. yes? ;) trade ya some of my ruby honey :D
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LOL Jens PINK honey I would put that up on the shelf so I could giggle at it for the next 20 years.. and think of Jen!
I'll send you some Mrs. Jen. PM me your addy again.
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Lol
I must say I am a bit envious, but also extremely happy for you and your bees.
Good on you sir.
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Wouldn't you like to know what the bees thought this morning when they flew out for the first time. Last night when it was dark they were here at my house just hanging out. Then this morning flying out and have this field in front of them.
Shortest waggle dance ever.
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As far a getting the saw warmed up...
I have a super on them, can't you see it, it's the top box..
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Geez Yankee!! I can feel the beam from your face over here in California!! :D ;D :D
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Yea, sorry, I AM a little giddy over this sunflower field. and followed by canola. The craziest part is the farmer being an old friend. That just sealed the deal.
To be honest though, If it wasn't for this forum, I would not be doing what I am doing. This forum and the members of it are the best, I have asked some really bonehead questions and done some boneheaded things with my bees. The folks here have bailed me out so much over the last few years.
I share these things on here, because I think the people on this forum enjoy seeing good things happening to beeks they have guided.
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I Couldn't Agree More! The last three years I was soo misguided... everyone here, and including you, really helped me clean up my hive and now 'hives', and understand the dynamics of beekeeping much better ~
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A quote from Randy Oliver;
"Physicist Neils Bohr once quipped, An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.”
This definition clearly excludes me from being any sort of expert, since I exuberantly continue to make new mistakes in my own beekeeping adventures.
// end quote
hehe, the exuberantly making new mistakes part fits quite a few of us I think. I do know how you feel with the new outyard I just set up. Only a couple acres of sunflowers there, but LOTS of other bee friendly plants and flowers.. Unfortunately it rained, so it will be a couple more days before I can go and see if hey filled all the supers in a week.. LOL Dirt roads are hard to drive on in this part of the country when they are wet.. so the bees get a respite for a couple more days.
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Nice short read there Scott ~ and interesting enough, it has occured to me with my pink honey, that if I get pink honey in next season, I just may have to move my hives out of my yard. How am I ever going to find the dyed hummer feeders in this neighborhood/town? it is the only year that this has happened tho.
Or, I could split next year and put those hives on the outskirts of town and leave these hives where they are and just let the bees deal with pink food. Pink food for thought :D
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Scott- "Jens PINK honey I would put that up on the shelf so I could giggle at it for the next 20 years.. and think of Jen!
:-[
Scott- "I'll send you some Mrs. Jen. PM me your addy again.
Why Thank You Kind Sir, then I will have only 46 more states to go ;) 8)
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As Iddee stated More Supers! The process the bees take in collecting, storing, converting, and ripening honey. It is possible to limit the collecting ability of the bees by not providing enough room for the factory line process of converting nectar to honey. The bees will slow the nectar collecting to focus more time on ripening the honey that is in the hive and slow the intake of nectar into the hive. The bees need access to thousands of cells so they can add a few drops of nectar to each then ripen it before adding a little more. With an intense flow the bees could need almost a medium super of area for nectar ripening. Watch and when they are storing little bits of nectar in the cells along the bottom of the frame across 6 frames it is time to add the next super.
Love the last picture you posted. What do sunflowers look at?
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I was tongue and cheak about the one super. BUT, thanks for explaining that Apis as that is what I am seeing in the cotton fields. Everything I stack on top of the hives is getting worked with in days. Now I know not to wait until the super is full or almost full before adding the next one. I placed empty supers on Wed, foundation ( as I am out of pulled comb) and they are already pulling it and adding nectar as they pull. Thanks, now I know why.
As far as what the Sunflowers look at? Hmm. these are looking straight at the Hives :)
I actually had to make a tough decision on these hives. I try to face my hives to the east so the first morning sun shines in the entrances, but I could not resist facing these hives directly at the Sunflowers.
As a bee, what a view to see, sitting on the front porch having early morning coffee (nectar), thinking about the day ahead.
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I was tongue and cheak about the one super. BUT, thanks for explaining that Apis as that is what I am seeing in the cotton fields. Everything I stack on top of the hives is getting worked with in days. Now I know not to wait until the super is full or almost full before adding the next one. I placed empty supers on Wed, foundation ( as I am out of pulled comb) and they are already pulling it and adding nectar as they pull. Thanks, now I know why.
The readiness of the bees to pull comb is a condition that is being brought on by the bees not having a place to store the nectar when it is being brought in and they are forced to hold it in there honey stomachs. I often wonder how much production we actually miss due to under supering, this being said if one lives in an area of small hive beetles and wax moths be cautious of providing to much unused space.
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The reason they are called SUNflowers is because their head will follow the rotation of the sun all day long. In the morning those big flowers will be facing the east, then end up facing the west in the evening.
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Yea,
my wife went to work Friday morning and drove by there. She called me and asked how they got all the flowers to face the same direction. I told her to home the same way and tell me what she see's.
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It's the coolest thing about sunflowers. How in the world do they do that? those seed heads are heavy ya know? fascinates me ~
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The reason they are called SUNflowers is because their head will follow the rotation of the sun all day long. In the morning those big flowers will be facing the east, then end up facing the west in the evening.
I wonder do they get whiplash at dawn when the sun appears on the horizon?
But seriously this is the same reason the wood that we buy twists. the side of the tree that is in the sun twists to try to stay in the sun. Once the tree is cut and as the lumber shrinks the cells pull together and this causes the tension that causes the boards to shrink.
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Apis-"I wonder do they get whiplash at dawn when the sun appears on the horizon?
Snarking... LOL... Oh Now See, that proves I'm a one trick pony thinker... it didn't occur to me that the seed head would have to move back to the east the next morning. They must start a 4-5am to get back over facing the east... blows my mind... I know, it doesn't take much.. :D
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I know I've a lot of these pictures but I can't get enough . They are farther along today.
The hives are crazy, they are in a frenzy mode. All 4 of them. I have got to get some super extracted soon, these things are going nuts. It's like flipping a switch. Larva, eggs, pollen, nectar.
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Holy Schmoly Guacamole!! Look at those bees just covered in pollen! I personally will NEVER tire of these sunflower pics, keep them coming.
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:photos: !!!!
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What was funny yesterday. I have 6 more hives just the other side of interstate from these sunflowers (less than 1/4 miles). And they had a extra empty super that they were not working yet. I ran to grab them yesterday to stick on these hives.
Nope, to late, these 6 hives have discovered the sunflowers. Guess what was in the pulled supers.
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Yankee:
Please let us know how fast your bees are filling supers on this most excellent forage? Sunflowers are a viable crop where I live.
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So far, I set hives out there wed and thursday night last week. Moving the hives I noticed the weight of them. Not very heavy.
I checked all the upper deeps yesterday, Most every cell was full of either nectar or eggs/larva. I lived hives and they were heavy. T have foundation in the super and they are pulling and filling as they go. hasn't been 7 days yet.
I have extract this Sat and will be setting empty pulled comb on them. Then we will know for sure.
But they have filled the deep frames in less than a week.
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Very nice Yankee
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Wow! Makes me want to plant some next year! love the bees covered in pollen!
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I planted sunfloweres in a wine barrel this year, Love Them!