Author Topic: CpnObvious to restart the adventure of BeeKeeping (Read 23087 times)

CpnObvious · « **Reply #20 on:** May 12, 2014, 11:14:11 pm »

So, pending any more unforeseen delays, I will be getting my bees this weekend. So I have four more questions, for the moment:
1) we're looking at 80% chance of rain Friday high of 71 low of 56, do I use an easy-up canopy (or not) and install them on Saturday high of 66, or do I wait until Sunday?
2) if I wait until Sunday, where do I put them? Do I bring them inside to keep them out of the weather, put them in the basement which stays fairly cool, or...?
3) once installed I'm supposed to feed them syrup and not play with them for four or so days... How fast should I expect the syrup to be used? Should I check that sooner?
4) what I name them, what's the easiest way to tell each one apart?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

blueblood · « **Reply #21 on:** May 12, 2014, 11:24:47 pm »

1. A canopy is a good idea. Even if it's a torrential rain, I don't see any obvious reasons why not.
2. I would just put them in the garage but basement would be fine.
3. You will want to check to see that the queen is released in a few days. I think checking too often can set the bees back. It is hard to tell how much syrup they will need. My bees always went for the real thing before the sugar.
4. By the sound of their buz...

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #22 on:** May 13, 2014, 09:44:45 am »

Quote from: CpnObvious on May 12, 2014, 11:14:11 pm

So, pending any more unforeseen delays, I will be getting my bees this weekend. So I have four more questions, for the moment:
1) we're looking at 80% chance of rain Friday high of 71 low of 56, do I use an easy-up canopy (or not) and install them on Saturday high of 66, or do I wait until Sunday?
2) if I wait until Sunday, where do I put them? Do I bring them inside to keep them out of the weather, put them in the basement which stays fairly cool, or...?
3) once installed I'm supposed to feed them syrup and not play with them for four or so days... How fast should I expect the syrup to be used? Should I check that sooner?
4) what I name them, what's the easiest way to tell each one apart?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

1. A little drizzle wont hurt them, but as Blue said, if its pouring the canopy would be NICE!
2. Either place will work, a light mist of water, or thin syrup preferably depending on how full their feed can is.
3. My "packages" go through a quart of syrup in two days.
4. I number my hives like Perry does. So I know them as #7 and # 18 etc...

riverbee · « **Reply #23 on:** May 13, 2014, 12:18:48 pm »

"4) what I name them, what's the easiest way to tell each one apart?"

what, the hives or the bees?.......

name, number, or paint the hive bodies different colors.........the bees.....put ear tags on them or you'll never tell them apart......

..............

(sorry couldn't resist!)

CpnObvious · « **Reply #24 on:** May 13, 2014, 12:47:55 pm »

Naming the bees was my concern... Gonna be a LOT of names/faces to remember... One thing I've NEVER been good at.

Papakeith · « **Reply #25 on:** May 13, 2014, 01:29:27 pm »

Be glad that you have a supplier that is communicating with you. At least you know what the deal is instead of wondering/worrying.

Quote

1) we're looking at 80% chance of rain Friday high of 71 low of 56, do I use an easy-up canopy (or not) and install them on Saturday high of 66, or do I wait until Sunday?
2) if I wait until Sunday, where do I put them? Do I bring them inside to keep them out of the weather, put them in the basement which stays fairly cool, or...?
3) once installed I'm supposed to feed them syrup and not play with them for four or so days... How fast should I expect the syrup to be used? Should I check that sooner?
4) what I name them, what's the easiest way to tell each one apart?

Canopy if you find it necessary. I would just do it in between showers or wait for the next day.
basement sounds like a safe bet as long as you remove any riders outside of the cage
If a heavy flow is going on they may ignore the syrup. That said I still put out a 1/2 gallon per hive and see what they do with it. Probably not an issue but I think worth mentioning: I would caution a little bit against overfeeding. Once they have some comb built, you don't want them to store so much liquid that the queen has no place to lay.
I would suggest the same method my grandfather used with everyone. When addressing a male it is "boy or bub" female "girl or gal". as long as you have no androgynous bees you'll be assured of getting it right

CpnObvious · « **Reply #26 on:** May 13, 2014, 10:44:22 pm »

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Memorial Day Weekend? The first real camping weekend in New England? The LONG weekend I go away with my kids to start the camping season? Granted, I camp with them every month with Scouts (yes, even in December)...

But it's confirmed... Sunday the 25th is the official pickup date. I've been bustin' my tail trying to get stuff ready and putting off other started projects to get things together for this weekend... and for what???

OK, rant done. My apologies.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #27 on:** May 13, 2014, 11:41:50 pm »

heheh.. NO apology necessary...

All my bees are LATE and my queens were canceled..
Sudden influx of information... Nuc's should be ready this weekend... Packages arriving Thursday.. and the queen guy emailed.. LOTS of cancelations because everyone has dead bees and they really don't think re queening dead bees will help their situation.. do I still want queens???
VSH Gold back on order... now to hold off swarming until they arrive!!!!

MAKE UP YOUR MINDS!!!!!

CpnObvious · « **Reply #28 on:** May 21, 2014, 11:35:46 pm »

Ok... GOOD news! I received an email an hour or so ago from the package guy confirming that he will be home with the bees Sunday morning!!!

Questions I have now...
1) he says he's coming back with extra packages because some people order but didn't send in a deposit and he hasn't heard from them. He doesn't want to see them die. Although I could fix up a third hive quite as nice as I have with the first two, I could certainly throw something together real quick, even if I had to swap out some parts down the road. Knowing that they may otherwise be a loss to him, is it wrong to make an offer less than the original package prices, trying to get a deal? I'm paying $105 for each package of Italian bees. The deposit was $50/ea. any idea what his cost would be? Any idea what a reasonable offer would be?

2) 1:1 syrup. I've watch more videos and read more recipes for syrup than I can even begin to count. Is it by weight or volume. At this point I am starting two new hives so I figure I should make a gallon... 2qts each. Sooooooo... 16c fluid~18.5c dry... But if it's by weight that completely changes everything. How many dry cups of sugar do I add to 1 fluid gallon of water?

Thank you!

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #29 on:** May 22, 2014, 12:31:00 am »

95 was the cost of packages here.. Expense of the person hauling them may vary.
For ten bucks I probably wouldn't worry about it, but being cheap I usually try to work a deal for equipment I have built etc

So I wouldn't fault you for trying.
Ratio is measured by volume or weight, they equal the same amount. 1 lb of sugar and 1 lb of water makes 1/1 1/2 gallon of water and half gallon of sugar make 1/1
You dont have to be excessively precise. I fill a jug approximately half way with sugar, then fill it with water. As you start stirring in the sugar bubbles will come to the surface and the fluid level will go down. Sugar is dissolved and suspended in the water, so 1/2 gallon of water and a half gallon of sugar do NOT make a full gallon of syrup, but the mix IS 1/1 or somewhere close. The bees wont worry about it if you are off half a cup either way.

riverbee · « **Reply #30 on:** May 22, 2014, 02:53:07 am »

#1 get the extra package, (that's just me) and pay them their asking price irregardless of the idiots who ordered and couldn't bother to send a deposit in.
yeah the bees will die, but these beeks worked to get them there. reasonable offer? do you work for less money? pay him the price of the package.

#2 what scott said, mixing up 1:1, i do the same as scott, not precise,

fill a jug or whatever container with half with sugar, add hot water, shake,
mix, good to go.

best wishes to ya!

CpnObvious · « **Reply #31 on:** May 22, 2014, 08:33:22 am »

I got my second top feeder, both inner covers, and the tin for my second outer cover finished last night

, all i need to make now is my two entrance reducers and an inner block for my screened bottoms... came up with a simple design based on someone warning me that I could be creating a safe haven for wax moths with the way I designed/built my bottom board

The design of one feeder (both are different). I'm not sure i like this one. Despite the way it looks, though, no bees can get out of or around their screened in area:
[img width= height= alt=150000/img_20140519_221744-149949.jpg" border="0]http://postimg.com/thumbs/150000/img_20140519_221744-149949.jpg[/img]

I had 2 1/2 options when putting the tin on this outer cover: Shiny side or newspaper print-side out... and then to paint or not to paint. What do you think? FYI... I'm pretty sure this piece is from the mid-late 80s
[img width= height= alt=150000/img_20140521_213153-149950.jpg" border="0]http://postimg.com/thumbs/150000/img_20140521_213153-149950.jpg[/img]

CpnObvious · « **Reply #32 on:** May 22, 2014, 08:43:02 pm »

Is it wrong that I don't even have the two packages of bees yet and I just spent the past few hours building a whole other hive just in case I end up, somehow, with a third?

Slight exaggeration... I had to repair the 10 frames and put foundation in them, I already had the deep super, and a landing board?
I made the inner cover, top cover (still need to paint then tin it), and a complete landing board?

I have to get all my camping stuff together now, but will be painting everything before bed... I should've been packing!

How can I bee obsessing over this when I haven't really even gotten back into it yet?

Bamabww · « **Reply #33 on:** May 22, 2014, 08:52:31 pm »

Quote from: CpnObvious on May 22, 2014, 08:43:02 pm

How can I bee obsessing over this when I haven't really even gotten back into it yet?

It gets in your blood somehow. We've all got it to some degree.

blueblood · « **Reply #34 on:** May 22, 2014, 09:21:31 pm »

...Sounds pretty normal to me...

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #35 on:** May 22, 2014, 09:40:05 pm »

Yep.. Normal.

Nice idea on the feeder. I have about 30 shallows sitting in the shed. Might see if I can convert about..... 30 of them?

riverbee · « **Reply #36 on:** May 22, 2014, 10:05:41 pm »

"How can I bee obsessing over this when I haven't really even gotten back into it yet?"

uhm.......WE ARE NOT OBSESSED........

CpnObvious · « **Reply #37 on:** May 22, 2014, 11:09:35 pm »

Lazy: Thanks! I was given the feeder in the second pic. I like it, but it gives me two concerns: 1) it looks like a LOT will got to waste (It's not angled and it's HUGE) 2) the bottom is masonite. I'm going to use it, but I worry about leakage. I loosely based mine off of it.

Here's a close-up of the caged pan and the bottom of it (don't judge the materials too much, I made it all from scrap):
[img width= height= alt=151000/caged_pan_combined-150011.jpg" border="0]http://postimg.com/thumbs/151000/caged_pan_combined-150011.jpg[/img]

Here's the close-up of the one I was given:
[img width= height= alt=151000/open_flat-150012.jpg" border="0]http://postimg.com/thumbs/151000/open_flat-150012.jpg[/img]

iddee · « **Reply #38 on:** May 23, 2014, 07:38:46 pm »

Cpn, you set your hive up with the front a bit lower than the back, so water will run out, not in. That gives the feeder it's slant. That is the best kind of feeder, imho.

CpnObvious · « **Reply #39 on:** May 23, 2014, 10:38:43 pm »

They're getting loaded onto the trailer in the morning... Will hit MA around 8-9am? on Sunday...

[img width= height= alt=151000/beesreadytoship-150102.jpg" border="0]http://postimg.com/thumbs/151000/beesreadytoship-150102.jpg[/img]