Author Topic: Alaska Bee Keeping (Read 108747 times)

riverbee · « **Reply #220 on:** April 18, 2018, 08:14:48 pm »

that's pretty sweet!

how did the practice go at extracting?

yukonjeff · « **Reply #221 on:** April 20, 2018, 01:00:45 am »

This was my third attempt at extracting. The first time the honey was too cold and I forked out chunks of comb trying to de-cap it and then it would not spin out of course.

I heated it in a very warm room and it ran right out.

So this time I put the box by the stove and warmed the frames good and then it un-capped and spun out just fine. I feel like I can do a few supers now

Snow is melting, We should have willow pollen coming in any day.

Bakersdozen · « **Reply #222 on:** April 21, 2018, 08:51:18 am »

First fresh pollen of the year is exciting.
Remember, you won't have any problems selling that fireweed honey. We are all down here drooling and hoping you have extra to sell.

apisbees · « **Reply #223 on:** April 21, 2018, 11:55:38 am »

As long as he has southern tourists driving through the area. Every one up there has fireweed honey. I do know of some guys down here that would buy it wholesale at a descent price. or sell to gift stores in tourist areas. The 3rd option is web sales and marketing it himself. although the shipping costs may scare some customers away.

yukonjeff · « **Reply #224 on:** April 21, 2018, 02:58:10 pm »

The few beekeepers here in Alaska all sell out in a short time. I bought a couple jars of fireweed honey from the Anchorage area and I believe it was $30 a pint shipped through the mail. Good stuff for sure.

I am way out in the boonies in a small native fishing village. No road or tourist into here.

I am hoping to wholesale to a shop or restaurants in Anchorage, if I ever have the problem of too much. I could use a 5 gl bucket myself.

This will be my first time having a booming hive in the spring and now I am hoping they can bring in some different kinds of honey from the early spring flow, ie. cranberry ,blueberry, salmonberry and blackberry, mountain strawberry. Our main fireweed flow is in July.

We will see this next month ,here as the snow recedes, the tundra starts blooming, if they can make any extra for me to rob.

Thanks again guys.

apisbees · « **Reply #225 on:** April 21, 2018, 03:27:43 pm »

The black berry will be the most productive. The Blue berry, huckleberry, cranberry and salmon-berry will depend on the year and the strawberry will not produce much. You should have wild raspberry that are good nectar and pollen flows also. And dandelion do you have any crab apple trees up there?

yukonjeff · « **Reply #226 on:** April 22, 2018, 02:44:24 pm »

I am sorry I was using the local name of black berry, otherwise know as a crow berry. Its black round berry that grows on the tundra. not the blackberry that looks like a raspberry.

The tundra will be covered in little blueberry and cranberry flowers , I am not sure if they do have enough nectar to produce much, if you watched my video the bee was going from flower to flower on the tundra that was the cranberry flowers. she is moving pretty fast,so maybe not getting much.

We do have a good bloom most years of all of the above.

We dont have many trees, only along the river we have cottonwood and willow and alder bush, thats about it. No fruit trees here at all.

That brings me to my next question. Can they bring in nectar from cottonwood ? they seam to excrete some sticky sap on the buds in the spring? Alder too?

My bees were coming in loaded last spring before anything was blooming. I am trying to figure what it was. I am thinking it was willow nectar ? or cottonwood ? is there such a thing ?

We have a lot of both, so I am wondering if they will make honey with it.

yukonjeff · « **Reply #227 on:** May 27, 2018, 04:10:27 am »

Well we are having a long cold spring here in western Alaska. We have pollen coming in finally but cool temps and snow showers today.
My second year queen was a bit slow at ramping up but now has a few frames of capped brood and a frame of open brood so happy with that.

I decided to push them down to one deep and see how that goes.
Been watching that Canadian bee keeper blog on youtube Ian has it down pretty good, I would recommend watching him if you want to learn some cool beekeeping skills. Watching him pull three deeps of honey off single deep of bees has sold me.

I had a problem this spring with my two packages of bees order. The airlines would not fly them in this year unless In a closed box. My bee supplier would not enclose them, so I didn't get my bees.

Hope to make a split when I get more frames of brood

apisbees · « **Reply #228 on:** May 27, 2018, 02:19:03 pm »

Are or Can you get queens shipped through the post office?

apisbees · « **Reply #229 on:** May 27, 2018, 02:27:30 pm »

years ago there was issues with package air shipping from New Zealand. so they switched to using 4 ft long, 4" dynamiter tubes.

Perry · « **Reply #230 on:** May 27, 2018, 06:31:33 pm »

yukonjeff · « **Reply #231 on:** May 28, 2018, 02:45:46 pm »

Thanks guys.
I can still get queens shipped in through the post office so hope to do that gain this year, when/if, I have enough to split.

Its tough to get a bee supplier that will even ship to me, more less buy special shipping supplies. so I think I am going to have to fly into town and bring bees back and that wont be cheap.

apisbees · « **Reply #232 on:** May 28, 2018, 10:14:58 pm »

The postal service is not allowed to ship bees by air except Queens that can only have 8 attendances. I Knew that they could not refuse them but with only being able to use ground transport. it limits your options.
https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_008.htm

yukonjeff · « **Reply #233 on:** May 29, 2018, 12:43:41 pm »

Thanks,Yes the Post office will ship them ground, but all our mail flys in, so SOL with them too.

I will get a queen ordered soon.

riverbee · « **Reply #234 on:** May 29, 2018, 11:18:52 pm »

"Its tough to get a bee supplier that will even ship to me, more less buy special shipping supplies. so I think I am going to have to fly into town and bring bees back and that wont be cheap.
Thanks,Yes the Post office will ship them ground, but all our mail flys in, so SOL with them too."

jeff, i really commend you on keeping bees. our challenges in the lower 40 are nowhere near what you are challenged with....
just sayin'......
flying into town to bring bees back? my stars, would be enough for someone to give up keeping bees!
i have traveled 3 1/2 - 4 hours one way to pick up nucs.......but mister's truck and my jeep don't fly......

yukonjeff · « **Reply #235 on:** June 10, 2018, 03:17:23 am »

Thanks Riverbee, I cant give up bee keeping ,I have too much invested in equipment. lol

Well we have a flow on now so I added a drawn deep last week and they have a few frames filled with nectar alreadyplus they are backfilling the brood nest.

We have blue berry,

Mountain raspberry,

and cranberry blooming now, also dandelions.

Second year queen

Bakersdozen · « **Reply #236 on:** June 10, 2018, 06:45:50 am »

What a view!

Lburou · « **Reply #237 on:** June 10, 2018, 09:22:59 am »

Jeff,

When I was in the Anchorage area in the 80's, there was a small business selling equipment (and possible package bees as well). I suppose you have already checked it out, but perhaps one of the beekeepers in the Anchorage area could find a way to get you a queen. HERE is a link that showed up on a google search for Alaska beekeepers. Perhaps a post to the Alaska Beekeepers FB page would get you results, Click here for that. Good luck Jeff!

yukonjeff · « **Reply #238 on:** June 10, 2018, 01:48:28 pm »

Thanks B.D. yes it is.

Lee, Thanks

I forgot to mention that I do have a queen coming around the end of this month, from the east coast, same guy again as last year.

I have thoroughly checked out all the bee sources in AK and that's all their is.

I don't do face book so am locked out of anything beekeeping in the state, pretty much.

Lburou · « **Reply #239 on:** June 10, 2018, 03:46:06 pm »

Okay Jeff, seems like we had this conversation last year too.

I'm hoping you have a great year this year and get your bes into winter with oodles of excess honey.