Post by: Jen on February 18, 2016, 08:40:21 pm
Just this week I was invited to a group meeting of women called Farm Girl Sisterhood. Now, I know nothing about farming but they do discuss bees. There were 4 women there who are newbee's, either got their bees last year, or getting bees this spring. I offered my help. The ring leader, Kim, is an engaging huggy bear kind of a gal and she said she doesn't now the next move for her tower at this point (see pic below). These farm gals are in the same dilema as myself, in that we have to travel 1 1/2 hours out of state to our mentors. I am just half hour away. I asked Kim for a pic of her hive, that I would share it with my forum, get some advice and then she and I can split this hive right and timely the first time, IF the hive needs to be split!
She got these bees and equipment last spring, bees have made it thru the winter. She does know that this hive has a lot of burr and cross comb and it did upset her to tear it all apart to make a peek inspection, so she stopped and put it all back together. So I'm imagining that it's going to be a messy project going thru this hive. I've done plenty of messy hive clean up so I'm ready for it... IF the hive needs to be cleaned up!
I'm excited about these gals, they need help, and I need bee companions, this could be the beginning of a lovely bee club ;D
2 DEEPS OF BEES, 2 SUPERS OF HONEY
My thoughts are after seeing this pic...
1. Check the 2 supers for honey supply first, it is still winter.
2. Then, on a 60 day, open up the hive and see how many bees are in there.
3. See if there are 6 frames of brood and eggs.
4. If there is 6 frames of brood, it can be split into 2 more managable hives.
5. If the hive is split she will need to have hive bodies and frames with foundation ready.
Let's start with this first. Thanks! ;D
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs11.postimg.cc%2Fvjo00x473%2FKim_Baxter_Beehive.jpg&hash=af146b24a9c02ab0cda1d2fadb9db04b6cd7fb59) (http://postimg.cc/image/vjo00x473/)
Post by: iddee on February 18, 2016, 10:11:12 pm
#2.. Get the empty frames off if there's enough to fill a box, or two.
#3.. Get a box of honey off it it leaves enough for the rest of the winter.
#4.. THEN you go into the brood chambers and decide if it's ready to split. No split before drones are flying.
Post by: Jen on February 18, 2016, 10:47:55 pm
Check, already suggested and working on that
#2.. Get the empty frames off if there's enough to fill a box, or two.
Check, meaning consolidate honey, remove empty frames
#3.. Get a box of honey off it it leaves enough for the rest of the winter.
Scratching head, isn't that the same as #2?
#4.. THEN you go into the brood chambers and decide if it's ready to split. No split before drones are flying.
Check
Except that I think she and I should check the honey supply now, then wait for a nice 60 day to check for brood. Two visits to her house.
Post by: pistolpete on February 19, 2016, 12:07:38 am
The disadvantage of leaving a hive like that over the winter is that moths and hive beetles can really make a mess of the unoccupied areas. If there was no excluder used, then the bees are most likely all in the upper super. Chances are you can swipe the bottom box and clean it up, as there will be no bees in it. But you already know they do as they please, so I could be way off with my predictions.
Post by: Jen on February 19, 2016, 12:26:51 am
And these ladies do know that I will have nucs for sale this spring... crossing fingers
Post by: Retroguy on February 19, 2016, 01:59:38 am
Post by: apisbees on February 19, 2016, 03:00:06 am
What Iddee said. It looks as though she got intimidated by the strength of the hive and gave into the hive rather than getting what needed to be done accomplished. Looking forward to your post when you get in to inventory the hive,
There is no need to rush to pull supers and empty frames and to make 2 trips. The hive has survived fine till now so I wouldn't pull it apart till you have a nice warm day. Hive beetles and wax moths are not a factor yet this early in the year.
Post by: Jen on February 19, 2016, 11:30:40 pm
Apis... "With the drought you faced last year if any of the supers are full and capped, ask how much she fed and for how long. it could be mostly sucrose"
Not sure why sucrose would matter? I thought the bees would eat honey or the syrup/sucrose they stored for winter?
Post by: pistolpete on February 20, 2016, 12:47:13 pm
Post by: apisbees on February 20, 2016, 01:31:13 pm
Not sure why sucrose would matter? I thought the bees would eat honey or the syrup/sucrose they stored for winter?Honey from nectar contains in varying quantities fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose levulose, When the bees make honey out of sugar syrup the sugar compilation changes. I would hold any frames that i would suspect full of syrup made honey to feed back to the bees.
Post by: Dunkel on February 20, 2016, 04:55:49 pm
Always interesting to crack into the unknown. Looks like there's a lot of equipment to work with and a person who wants to keep bees and willing to put out the cash to have them. Definitely a person who could use a nuc for additional hives. She already has enough for two hives just add bees. If mine I would think about either going with two deeps or maybe using the equipment she has in a deep medium brood chamber arrangement for a second hive. I guess it depends on the inside condition of the frames and stores at this point. Not sure about the climate again. I can go either way with a strong hive and normal conditions.
Two trips at least and the second bee prepared for a cut out. Jen with the knowledge you have gained its a shame you don't have double digit the number of hives , as much as you enjoy them. You will know what to do, you are down to the fine tuning stage of beekeeping :goodjob:
Post by: tecumseh on February 20, 2016, 06:33:24 pm
special note to Jen.... on tall hives like this and especially if there is lots of burr comb between the boxes and ideally if you have an extra hand to assist I quite often tip the whole tower of boxes on it's front or back (not the side) and then dissemble the hive from the bottom upward. for one thing the empty space is normally on the bottom and secondly parting the boxes with lots of burr comb is much easier when the entire hive is sitting horizontally rather than vertically. at some point you should know based upon any location what is an optimal configuration for keeping bees and simply piling on excessive boxes willy nilly just adds to toil in keeping bees and more importantly likely discourage a new beekeeper from getting into their hives and learning something about bees and beekeeping.
and good luck....
Post by: Jen on February 21, 2016, 12:56:13 am
Awe Shucks Dunkel, That's a really nice thing to say :-[ :) I think I would like more hives but my back is preventing me from doing that. So, this is an opportunity to be available for others to learn to be good beekeepers and increase their hives. That is why I made this post for the first time I've been asked to help. I can dawdle around with my own 3 hives, but I want to be knowledgable and efficient when working with others.
By the way Dunkel. Am I correct in remembering your story of all the bees in the basement...and a skunk?
Post by: Dunkel on February 21, 2016, 10:42:30 am
Post by: Jen on February 21, 2016, 04:50:08 pm
Post by: Zweefer on February 21, 2016, 10:38:31 pm
Post by: Jen on February 21, 2016, 10:55:51 pm
Post by: riverbee on February 22, 2016, 10:56:13 am
i will never forget that experience, and WILL NOT be repeated! :D
Post by: Jen on February 22, 2016, 02:41:41 pm
Post by: riverbee on February 22, 2016, 10:39:21 pm
for new members, they have not read some of these............
dunkels story is here; the title says it all and is very, very funny!:
Yesterday Just Wasn't My Day (http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php/topic,2290.msg30645.html#msg30645)
i am the einstein that has moved a 500 lb plus pig 80 miles to the university of minnesota and bees on a wisconsin interstate (stopped and ticketed), both in buicks, never again.
here is my short version of moving bees in a buick:
A new standard on how not to transport bees (http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php/topic,1424.msg19174.html#msg19174)
;D............ :D enjoy!
Post by: Retroguy on February 22, 2016, 11:48:46 pm
Post by: Jen on February 23, 2016, 12:32:00 am
Good reading tonight ;D
Post by: Dunkel on February 23, 2016, 08:56:21 pm
Post by: Jen on February 23, 2016, 11:20:02 pm
I ran thru the house and jumped into the backyard not knowing what to expect. I Just stood there mouth agape and staring at about 25,000 bees in the sky. I did an about face and ran into the computer and got on the forum and screamed into the subject line "MY BEES ARE SWARMING!"
Fortunately, LazyBkr was on at the time, and recognized my panic. He typed back...
Jen... take a breath... calm down... make your self a drink... take another breath... sit down for a little while.
I did.
Then he walked me thru how to get the bees from the cedar branches into a hive body. Seriously, if he lived near me I would have gone and washed his feet LOL
Post by: riverbee on February 27, 2016, 12:27:06 am
retro, reversing hives is what some or most have been taught to do............it's not an absolute. bees know what to do. i haven't reversed hives in 12-15 years i guess. i learned that the bees move up and the bees move down, and for me reversing the hives was and is unnecessary for the most part, and sometimes we do more harm than good by reversing. are we reversing because that's what we have been told and taught to do?
the professors in charge?...........good folks. sometimes i wonder if they really practice what they preach though?
met doc marla spivak (awesome person and 'brain'; wish i had her knowledge of bees).......... been to her lab and office several times and have had great discussions with her and a number of exchanged emails. i was fortunate to have met a colleague of hers (professor) that does research for her from time to time......he likes to fish our river........ ;) and so he introduced me to her. it was an honor to meet her and have the opportunities to have conversation with her about bees.
Post by: Dunkel on February 27, 2016, 09:28:26 am
Post by: Jen on February 27, 2016, 08:07:55 pm
Same here Dunkel, and then after I catch the swarm and get it situated, I check the hive and am scratching my head because there was obviously not action going on in the bottom hive box, empty, barren. my head wondering why they swarmed.... shrug
Goes to show the familiar saying Bees are bees and do what they please :)
Post by: iddee on February 27, 2016, 08:15:59 pm
Post by: Jen on February 27, 2016, 09:49:36 pm
Iddee ~ "Moving the pollen frames out and empty frames into the brood area will prevent it... swarming
You mean on either side of the brood nest? Not within the brood nest?...
Post by: iddee on February 27, 2016, 09:54:52 pm
Post by: Jen on February 27, 2016, 11:38:52 pm
Post by: iddee on February 28, 2016, 05:01:25 am