building some bee equiment

[old243]

The weather here has been bitter cold , the last couple of days, staying in by the wood stove. On warmer days I have been working in the shop.

Making some inner covers almost have them finished. Then want to make a bunch of screened bottom boards. Some of my bee mentors , equipment was needing replaced and repair. This gives me lots of projects . I am not a trim carpenter by any means. But can cobble up old boxes, and give them new life. He has about 80 colonies so goes through lots of stuff. 

Hope to do some splits and raise some queens, come spring. Hope everyone's girls are making it through the winter. old 243

[farmertrappe]

Thinking Spring, I like that and a great project to keep warm with.

[swampcat]

I still am holding on to two hives so far.. and hopeing they can make it to spring..

I put a screen vent in my boxes, and noticed something has been clawing at the screens..

I finally put out some DPs yesterday around the hives and down around the garden, this morning was my first possum check.. came up empty..

I was out checking my swarm boxes back in the fall.. I noticed one looked like it might have a mouse in it..
I opened it up and there was a small timber rattler in it.. and a mouse nest.. shoot I can't even raise mice...

bee keeping is sometimes exciting...

Al

[old243]

Swampcat, that rattler would get your attention in a hurry. I had a mouse nest in one of my swarm traps as well. Guess it is a nice spot to raise the wee ones. Got my inner covers and screened bottom boards finished . Now going to make some parts for deep frames, they are kind of puttery, but a good project. Blizzard conditions tonight, hope our hydro power stays on. Have the woodstove  going, so life is good.old243

[swampcat]

Man I'm down to one hive left it seems weak too.. the red maple popped out here followed by nothing but rain so it wasn't much help.. even tho the bees aren't working the sugar water.. well they just don't seem much active but the temps are still in the 40s and sometimes the 50s here.. I pulled the top of the hive off for a very quick glance about two frames had bees at the top.. I made up a super with screen wire on the bottom half filled with saw shavings from my mill.. and put that on maybe to draw up moisture as it has been very wet here and the last hive I opened after it was lost was wet.. thinking also the shavings might insulate too.. the boxes do have two one inch vents..

we got sunshine today and temps in the 40s so far, been cleaning up my trap equipment.. got about every thing dyed up and pressure washed the dyeing tub..
I need to get back to the shop and make a bunch of stakes, seems every time I start buying from one seller something happens and the stake system I got from him, isn't what I find the next time I buy.. so I'm trying to weed out the odd stakes and get to only one system..

Well my old saying is I'll do better next time... Maybe

[farmertrappe]

Honey off your own hives is so sweet and rewarding; but dang it is so hard to help keep bees alive. I think it is one of the most frustrating projects I have ever undertaken on the farm.

[bk]

Feb 25, 2019 12:43:29 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Man I'm down to one hive left it seems weak too.. the red maple popped out here followed by nothing but rain so it wasn't much help.. even tho the bees aren't working the sugar water.. well they just don't seem much active but the temps are still in the 40s and sometimes the 50s here.. I pulled the top of the hive off for a very quick glance about two frames had bees at the top.. I made up a super with screen wire on the bottom half filled with saw shavings from my mill.. and put that on maybe to draw up moisture as it has been very wet here and the last hive I opened after it was lost was wet.. thinking also the shavings might insulate too.. the boxes do have two one inch vents..

we got sunshine today and temps in the 40s so far, been cleaning up my trap equipment.. got about every thing dyed up and pressure washed the dyeing tub..
I need to get back to the shop and make a bunch of stakes, seems every time I start buying from one seller something happens and the stake system I got from him, isn't what I find the next time I buy.. so I'm trying to weed out the odd stakes and get to only one system..

Well my old saying is I'll do better next time... Maybe

Sorry to hear about the hives, swampcat.  It is a challenge everywhere to keep the ladies alive and healthy. 
Up here in NW Wisconsin, I put a quilt box on every hive in the fall.  Six inch deep box, bottom covered with a piece of canvas, three holes on each side (one inch diameter, sloping upward at about 45 degrees with a piece of screen over them on the inside to keep mice out) filled with shavings.  Works great to absorb and vent moisture.  I also tip my hives a bit to the front so any water tends to run out.

[swampcat]

Thanks BK,

One of my friends uses a box like the one you pictured. I helped him with his bees a couple of times, he is allergic
to bee stings. So he likes someone around when he works his hives.. I didn't think I needed the extra box with shaving but I see different with the soggy weather we have had.. I had most of my hives in a open shed protected from wind and rain for the most part.

Things are sure different with bees, we had three hives here on the farm back in the 60s.. about all I remember doing with them is robbing them, and fighting them from the tractor seat when I was to near the hives plowing a field..and getting stung.. growing up on a farm a kid gets stung a lot.. bush hogging yellow jacket nest and red wasp in the barn.. then those bright wingless wasp that look like ants.. man those will teach ya quick not to play with ants..

I don't know if I will fool with bees much any more if I lose this hive.. I love them but there has to be a limit,
To how many times I am willing to gamble..

I thought it was going to be easy, to open a hive look them over find day old eggs and split hives.. I never really found the things I needed to find in a hive, or was unsure of what I was doing..maybe I'm just not cut out for bee keeping..Or maybe bees are the only critter I haven't been able to trap.....Yet..

[bk]

Feb 26, 2019 4:54:08 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Thanks BK,

One of my friends uses a box like the one you pictured. I helped him with his bees a couple of times, he is allergic
to bee stings. So he likes someone around when he works his hives.. I didn't think I needed the extra box with shaving but I see different with the soggy weather we have had.. I had most of my hives in a open shed protected from wind and rain for the most part.

Things are sure different with bees, we had three hives here on the farm back in the 60s.. about all I remember doing with them is robbing them, and fighting them from the tractor seat when I was to near the hives plowing a field..and getting stung.. growing up on a farm a kid gets stung a lot.. bush hogging yellow jacket nest and red wasp in the barn.. then those bright wingless wasp that look like ants.. man those will teach ya quick not to play with ants..

I don't know if I will fool with bees much any more if I lose this hive.. I love them but there has to be a limit,
To how many times I am willing to gamble..

I thought it was going to be easy, to open a hive look them over find day old eggs and split hives.. I never really found the things I needed to find in a hive, or was unsure of what I was doing..maybe I'm just not cut out for bee keeping..Or maybe bees are the only critter I haven't been able to trap.....Yet..

Growing up a neighbor had ten hives.  The same ten hives for all the years I helped them.  All we did was harvest honey.  A simpler time for sure.

Now it's just tough to keep them healthy and alive.  Our environment has changed. Our agriculture has changed.  Our bees have changed.   I won't tell you how many fresh starts I've had to make, but it has been way too many, I embarrassed to say.

My goal is to have a self sustaining apiary.  Over wintering is a challenge up here in the tundra.  Those that survive are the stock I use to move forward.  Takes a real hands on approach to succeed - plenty of checks, monitoring for mites and disease, and trying to help the bees help themselves.

Odd how an insect can be so darn interesting, so darn challenging, and so darn frustrating.  Hang in there, swampcat!

[swampcat]

Feb 26, 2019 19:56:41 GMT -5 bk said:

Feb 26, 2019 4:54:08 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Thanks BK,

One of my friends uses a box like the one you pictured. I helped him with his bees a couple of times, he is allergic
to bee stings. So he likes someone around when he works his hives.. I didn't think I needed the extra box with shaving but I see different with the soggy weather we have had.. I had most of my hives in a open shed protected from wind and rain for the most part.

Things are sure different with bees, we had three hives here on the farm back in the 60s.. about all I remember doing with them is robbing them, and fighting them from the tractor seat when I was to near the hives plowing a field..and getting stung.. growing up on a farm a kid gets stung a lot.. bush hogging yellow jacket nest and red wasp in the barn.. then those bright wingless wasp that look like ants.. man those will teach ya quick not to play with ants..

I don't know if I will fool with bees much any more if I lose this hive.. I love them but there has to be a limit,
To how many times I am willing to gamble..

I thought it was going to be easy, to open a hive look them over find day old eggs and split hives.. I never really found the things I needed to find in a hive, or was unsure of what I was doing..maybe I'm just not cut out for bee keeping..Or maybe bees are the only critter I haven't been able to trap.....Yet..

Growing up a neighbor had ten hives.  The same ten hives for all the years I helped them.  All we did was harvest honey.  A simpler time for sure.

Now it's just tough to keep them healthy and alive.  Our environment has changed. Our agriculture has changed.  Our bees have changed.   I won't tell you how many fresh starts I've had to make, but it has been way too many, I embarrassed to say.

My goal is to have a self sustaining apiary.  Over wintering is a challenge up here in the tundra.  Those that survive are the stock I use to move forward.  Takes a real hands on approach to succeed - plenty of checks, monitoring for mites and disease, and trying to help the bees help themselves.

Odd how an insect can be so darn interesting, so darn challenging, and so darn frustrating.  Hang in there, swampcat!

Yes, My friend who I help has has good luck with his bees.. and they are all caught wild swarms..
we had a bee tree here, near one of my neighbors place it was here many years.. He paid someone to come out and kill the hive.. this was before I started thinking bout keeping bees.. claimed his wife was allergic..
what a waste..
I am thinking maybe some of my bee problems are neighbor problems..

[bk]

Feb 27, 2019 9:24:56 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Feb 26, 2019 19:56:41 GMT -5 bk said:

Growing up a neighbor had ten hives.  The same ten hives for all the years I helped them.  All we did was harvest honey.  A simpler time for sure.

Now it's just tough to keep them healthy and alive.  Our environment has changed. Our agriculture has changed.  Our bees have changed.   I won't tell you how many fresh starts I've had to make, but it has been way too many, I embarrassed to say.

My goal is to have a self sustaining apiary.  Over wintering is a challenge up here in the tundra.  Those that survive are the stock I use to move forward.  Takes a real hands on approach to succeed - plenty of checks, monitoring for mites and disease, and trying to help the bees help themselves.

Odd how an insect can be so darn interesting, so darn challenging, and so darn frustrating.  Hang in there, swampcat!

Yes, My friend who I help has has good luck with his bees.. and they are all caught wild swarms..
we had a bee tree here, near one of my neighbors place it was here many years.. He paid someone to come out and kill the hive.. this was before I started thinking bout keeping bees.. claimed his wife was allergic..
what a waste..
I am thinking maybe some of my bee problems are neighbor problems..

Agree, swampcat.  Neighbors can be a problem or a big help.  Had a neighbor that was spray happy - if it grew green and wasn't grass or was a bug, it was dead.  Hard to keep bees with neighbors like that.  Now my only neighbor challenges are the mega farmer that rents every square foot in the neighborhood and is a heavy user of petro chemicals.  I do admit to sweetening my other neighbors with a jar of honey - and it helps alot.

Wild swarms would sure give you a good jump start on a sustainable apiary...if you can find them.  Keep your eyes and ears open.

[old243]

Bees can be very interesting. I am happy to see my 7 hives all appear healthy. I fed them last fall , used wintergreen, tea tree oil and peppermint oils in the syrup. Fat bee man formula. Until they quit taking it. Used a hive top feeder.  Hope this had something to do with the condition. Put some sugar cakes over the cluster.


I found a site, with  a lot of good info. The Canadian beekeepers blog. He has about 1200 hives, located in Manitoba. Can. He has a lot of good ideas. Worth a look. 


I have been putting frames togather, after building all the parts. Puttery work , but keeps me occupied.  Good luck with your girls, keep a close eye , it will soon be spring. old243

[swampcat]

Lost my bees. I have another package coming in Saturday.. so trying it again.. going to see if I can get an extra queen and split the package..

[bk]

Mar 19, 2019 18:20:36 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Lost my bees. I have another package coming in Saturday.. so trying it again.. going to see if I can get an extra queen and split the package..

I'd do my best to make sure the package is doing well before you try and split.  I've seen too many packages fail when beeks try and split to early and lose both hives. 

If you don't have a queen when you get the package going well, do a walk away split.

Good luck, swampcat!

[swampcat]

Mar 22, 2019 20:59:27 GMT -5 bk said:

Mar 19, 2019 18:20:36 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Lost my bees. I have another package coming in Saturday.. so trying it again.. going to see if I can get an extra queen and split the package..

I'd do my best to make sure the package is doing well before you try and split.  I've seen too many packages fail when beeks try and split to early and lose both hives. 

If you don't have a queen when you get the package going well, do a walk away split.

Good luck, swampcat!

Yeah, I probably made a mistake, but at this point I have to ride it out to see where it takes me..
So I did get an extra queen, put her in the extra hive and tried to dump the bees out as equal as I could in the two boxes.. I should have closed the hive with the new queen that wasn't in the package.. but I didn't.. that was Saturday, It seems more bees moved to the package queen's box but there are still some bees in and out of the extra hive too.. I think we are about to hit a flow here and I am feeding so I am hoping for a good build up quick.
We'll see if its going to work out..

I have other bees working my feeder in the yard, I was wondering if some of my bees from last season survived in the woods or if someone close has bees and not feeding.. kind of hoping for a swarm..

[bk]

Bees will teach you in un-expected ways.  (And hard lessons stick with us the longest, usually due to the cost.)  Good luck with the new hives.


Did you do a direct queen release at install?  After a couple days observe the bees around the queen cage and if they aren't biting at the cage, I'd release her, if you haven't already.


Keep them on syrup - it will help them build up.  Hope there is an overwintered swarm out there for you, but guessing you have a beek neighbor.  Watch where they fly and see what you can learn.


Keep us posted and good luck.

[swampcat]

Mar 26, 2019 21:15:24 GMT -5 bk said:

Bees will teach you in un-expected ways.  (And hard lessons stick with us the longest, usually due to the cost.)  Good luck with the new hives.


Did you do a direct queen release at install?  After a couple days observe the bees around the queen cage and if they aren't biting at the cage, I'd release her, if you haven't already.


Keep them on syrup - it will help them build up.  Hope there is an overwintered swarm out there for you, but guessing you have a beek neighbor.  Watch where they fly and see what you can learn.


Keep us posted and good luck.

I just took a tie wrap and fastened the queen cage to the top of the frame after I pulled the cork.. I figured if they accepted her they would eat the candy end out and release her.. I haven't opened the hives yet to check but both hives seem to be working and taking syrup..

Yeah I've been trying to get a line on where the bees are coming from.. they seem to leave in a North direction but I lose track of them pretty quick. my house is in that direction and woods behind it but there are some neighbors out that way too..

Thanks and I hope some of this sunshine gets up there soon.