Search found 166 matches
- Mon Mar 11, 2024 4:08 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Pinching queens to control swarming?
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1770
Pinching queens to control swarming?
I'm thinking of a scenario where a beekeeper is not interested in (or able to) expand their apiary, has no interest in selling bees, and therefore does not use splitting colonies as a means to control swarming. Would it be possible to find a colony in swarm prep mode, locate and pinch the current qu...
- Sat Mar 09, 2024 8:38 am
- Forum: Just Stuff
- Topic: Swarming prep observations - anyone?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1314
Re: Swarming prep observations - anyone?
Well, I think I spoke too soon about my own colonies. I checked my home hives on Thursday afternoon, and the strongest one did have at least one uncapped, charged swarm cell with larvae and jelly. I removed two frames of brood to boost a weaker colony and replaced with empty drawn comb in the hopes ...
- Sat Mar 09, 2024 8:29 am
- Forum: Extractions, cut outs, removals and swarms
- Topic: Greensboro swarm 3/7/24
- Replies: 0
- Views: 1857
Greensboro swarm 3/7/24
I just got an unverified report of a swarm here in the center of Greensboro on Thursday. Unfortunately, the neighbor just contacted me last night about it... I assume they are long gone by now, but I do plan to go check if we get a break in the rain later today.
- Thu Mar 07, 2024 9:47 am
- Forum: Just Stuff
- Topic: Swarming prep observations - anyone?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1314
Swarming prep observations - anyone?
My bees definitely seem to be weeks behind compared to the past few years, so as soon as folks begin to see charged swarm cells, I would love to hear about it! So far, I am not seeing any real swarming preparation or swarm cells, even in my strongest packed colonies. I am certainly seeing tons of fl...
- Wed Mar 06, 2024 2:24 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Adding a honey super
- Replies: 8
- Views: 2000
Re: Adding a honey super
All of my hives overwintered this year in 2, 10-frame mediums. I put a deep box with heavily waxed black plastic foundations (only) on most of them Feb 10. As of the other day, all but a few weaker colonies had started drawing out those foundations. The strongest 3 or 4 colonies had almost fully dra...
- Wed Feb 21, 2024 11:41 am
- Forum: Just Stuff
- Topic: Early February observations/Burr comb in shims
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2091
Re: Early February observations/Burr comb in shims
Long story, but I put deeps with new heavily-waxed plastic foundations on all my hives on Feb. 10. They still have plenty of honey, and I am supplemental feeding with Hive Alive fondant (no liquid syrup yet). I thought it was worth a shot to see if they'd consider drawing them out, and maybe I'd get...
- Wed Feb 21, 2024 11:20 am
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Overwintering drones???
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1152
Overwintering drones???
Is it possible for drones to overwinter in a hive? I thought not, but I did a thorough check of some hives on Monday and found plentiful numbers of mature-looking drones on frames. I guess it's possible they are this year's drones, but that means those eggs would have been laid AT LEAST 24+ days ago...
- Wed Feb 21, 2024 11:20 am
- Forum: Just Stuff
- Topic: Drones 2024/Overwintering drones???
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1609
Drones 2024/Overwintering drones???
Is it possible for drones to overwinter in a hive? I thought not, but I did a thorough check of some hives on Monday and found plentiful numbers of mature-looking drones on frames. I guess it's possible they are this year's drones, but that means those eggs would have been laid AT LEAST 24+ days ago...
- Sat Feb 03, 2024 3:52 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Red maples blooming already?
- Replies: 21
- Views: 30924
Re: Red maples blooming already?
I stopped by Cooperative Extension on Thursday to see the tree in bloom. It is almost certainly a gnarly old red maple (not a silver or sugar maple), and the bees were certainly working it! I haven't seen any others blooming to this extent in the area, but would love to hear what you folks are seein...
- Sat Feb 03, 2024 10:09 am
- Forum: Just Stuff
- Topic: Early February observations/Burr comb in shims
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2091
Early February observations/Burr comb in shims
As Wally suggested, I took the opportunity yesterday to peek in all my hives, check weights, and make general observations. In 2 of my 19 hives, they are now starting to build comb inside the feeding shim (mainly drone comb). In fact, one was already laid up with eggs! They have definitely been burn...
- Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:36 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Red maples blooming already?
- Replies: 21
- Views: 30924
Re: Red maples blooming already?
I am super-curious to know what tree that is at the cooperative extension office! I can't think of what else might be in bloom this time of year... Like Jacobs, I also peeked in on all my hives recently and made the same observations. Both in urban Greensboro and rural Summerfield, all my colonies a...
- Sun Jan 28, 2024 9:14 am
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Red maples blooming already?
- Replies: 21
- Views: 30924
Re: Red maples blooming already?
I would agree with Jacobs. It's always been my understanding that we have sufficient natural pollen around here during January/February (primarily from camellia, mahonia, and red maple), and plenty of warm days for flying and foraging, for normal build-up and brood production. My impression is the m...
- Fri Jan 19, 2024 9:36 am
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Red maples blooming already?
- Replies: 21
- Views: 30924
Re: Red maples blooming already?
It was exactly this time last year that I saw red maples blooming and bees working like crazy bringing in maple pollen (and apparently nectar). This was also the time I discovered many of my feeding shims already filling up with new wax and drone comb! As far as I can tell this has been a different ...
- Thu Aug 31, 2023 5:50 am
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Aggression
- Replies: 2
- Views: 50601
Re: Aggression
My experience is there can always be multiple factors that cause this aggression (dearth, pests, disease pressure), but in most cases a simple re-queening is the solution. This has worked for me with several similar situations - you just have to be patient though as you wait for the new queen's offs...
- Sun Aug 27, 2023 5:22 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Robbing
- Replies: 11
- Views: 253432
Re: Robbing
If no nucs are easily available, at this point in the season you might be best off storing the hardware and robbed out frames in the freezer and planning to utilize them for splits and supers next spring. You can treat, feed, and build up your remaining colony through the rest of the year and winter...
- Tue May 30, 2023 4:51 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Converting from all-mediums to deep brood boxes
- Replies: 1
- Views: 21989
Converting from all-mediums to deep brood boxes
I decided at the beginning of my beekeeping adventure to run all mediums. At the time, I thought the advantage of being able to move frames around wherever I wanted was going to be a great advantage. What I've discovered is that my hive inspections and swarm prevention attempts have suffered because...
- Tue May 30, 2023 4:19 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Derth
- Replies: 1
- Views: 26842
Re: Derth
I'm not an expert in this yet, but I would say that I'm seeing sumac and clover still blooming, and my bees (at least today now that the sun is back out) are purposeful and actively bringing in "something". Yes, they are wash-boarding. And no, I don't have hive weights or anything to back ...
- Mon May 22, 2023 7:37 pm
- Forum: Products of the Hive
- Topic: Honey Harvest
- Replies: 3
- Views: 50820
Re: Honey Harvest
My best colonies here in Greensboro will typically produce a 5 gal bucket of honey (50-60 lbs?). I started out following the "leave one medium super of honey for winter" approach, but have definitely switched over to harvesting all honey, putting a wet super back on after extracting, feede...
- Wed May 17, 2023 5:09 pm
- Forum: Beekeeping 101
- Topic: Treating mites during the honey flow?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 29912
Re: Treating mites during the honey flow?
So here's what I decided to do. Rather than try to treat chemically at this stage, I instead found the queen and made a split from this hive (and another like it). This achieves four things for me: 1. Allows for a brood break to knock back the mite population 2. Reduces any swarming impulse they mig...
- Fri May 12, 2023 11:58 am
- Forum: Products of the Hive
- Topic: Freeze Honey
- Replies: 2
- Views: 50510
Re: Freeze Honey
Absolutely! I suggest putting them in some kind of plastic bag though, because they will definitely drip and make a sticky mess if you're not careful.