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Well I ordered my hive from Dadant, can't wait! I am storing the TBH in the shed until some future time when I will try it again. This year it is Lang hive all the way.
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Mar 7, 2011 22:25
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My hive is in California at my dads and Im still in Colorado snowboarding so I cant put it together. Luckily I was able to stop at Redstone Meadery and grab some delicious mead. 6 more weeks to bees.
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Mar 10, 2011 04:54
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Went to a beekeeping meeting last night, got to talk to some interesting folks. There was a really engaging presentation by an entomologist/professor about beehives representing a "superorganism" and the genetics between supersisters and lesser sisters. It was nice to be around a bunch of people who share your enthusiasm, especially when you have a lot of friends/family who are either repulsed at the idea of bees or tired of hearing you talk about your beekeeping.  Our hive is going to go in a semi-shaded area beneath a fig tree in the backyard. We have a small stream that runs behind our house, and our neighbors have a pool and hot tub. I'm already dreading the idea of the bees flocking to the pool/hot tub to get water. So, I planned on putting a birdbath near the hive to give the bees another option of close water. Does anyone have any stories about bees and water sources? Do they pick a favorite source and go to it, regardless of what else is around? Or will they usually stick to whatever's closest to the hive (or most clean, most fresh)?
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Mar 10, 2011 14:06
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AFK SWARM OF BEES posted:Went to a beekeeping meeting last night, got to talk to some interesting folks. There was a really engaging presentation by an entomologist/professor about beehives representing a "superorganism" and the genetics between supersisters and lesser sisters. It was nice to be around a bunch of people who share your enthusiasm, especially when you have a lot of friends/family who are either repulsed at the idea of bees or tired of hearing you talk about your beekeeping. Beekeeping meet-ups are great, and they've really changed in recent years. When I started beekeeping, I was the youngest person in the room by about 40 years. Hell, my Dad was probably the second youngest. These day's, it's all about a younger generation finding their own way and learning from those older gentlemen. I'm no longer the youngest in the room. By far. It's fantastic. You're always going to have a few bees wander over to your neighbor's place to find water, but if you provide a sweet and clear source of water that is constantly renewed and closer to the hive than their pool, the bees will go to that preferentially. Just make sure that you always keep it full and fresh.
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Mar 10, 2011 19:23
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Well, my beehive got here, and it is a mess. Apparently there are 2 sizes of hive that dadant offers, and their website and catalog don't make that clear. So I have half the hive at one size and half at the other, and they do not go together at all! I was going to just order another half-and-half hive and make 2 hives, a bigger and smaller, but I can't even figure out on their website which is which!! 
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Mar 12, 2011 22:46
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Ishamael posted:Well, my beehive got here, and it is a mess. You got 8 frame and 10 frame? 8 frame is dumb.
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Mar 13, 2011 00:03
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ShotgunWillie posted:You got 8 frame and 10 frame? Yeah, I have a half an 8frame hive and half a 10frame! And on their website there is no way to tell the difference. Hopefully they can help me sort this out.
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Mar 13, 2011 00:37
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Does anyone else have dreams of the bees attacking you or swarming? I think I fear my bees.
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Mar 13, 2011 06:27
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Ishamael posted:Yeah, I have a half an 8frame hive and half a 10frame! And on their website there is no way to tell the difference. Hopefully they can help me sort this out. I was having the same problem when I was looking through their stuff, nothing is labeled very well, its all kinda vague. I just bought a beginners kit and hoped for the best.
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Mar 13, 2011 10:24
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lightpole posted:I was having the same problem when I was looking through their stuff, nothing is labeled very well, its all kinda vague. I just bought a beginners kit and hoped for the best. Yeah that was my problem, I bought a complete hive (deep, bottom board, inner cover, outer cover), and then added on to my order with a second deep, two supers and a feeder. Well the stuff I "added on" is 10-frame, and the rest is 8-frame. Hopefully they will be cool about helping me figure this out.
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Mar 13, 2011 15:03
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That sucks, I must say, a lot of the online catalogs for this stuff suck, especially if its your first time ordering. I went through Brushymountain for their free shipping deal back in December and almost had the same problem. Luckily I caught it before I paid. A question: I am taking a bee keeping course with Jim Bobb at his honey farm, and in last weeks lesson he mentioned to not add new frames of non-built up foundation past mid-June because the bees are more or less done making wax and will just take the foundation wax and use it elsewhere. I didn't think of this at the time, but can you just take a hunk of bee's wax and leave it near the hive, say with the feeder, for the bees to just take and use as they see fit? If so, I could just see that as being something to help out a new colony get started.
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Mar 13, 2011 15:26
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nesbit37 posted:That sucks, I must say, a lot of the online catalogs for this stuff suck, especially if its your first time ordering. I went through Brushymountain for their free shipping deal back in December and almost had the same problem. Luckily I caught it before I paid. I went to Brushy Mountain for my first supplies too, and I had to call their hotline and double check on some items before I ordered them. The lady on the hotline was very helpful, though.
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Mar 13, 2011 19:33
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nesbit37 posted:A question: I am taking a bee keeping course with Jim Bobb at his honey farm, and in last weeks lesson he mentioned to not add new frames of non-built up foundation past mid-June because the bees are more or less done making wax and will just take the foundation wax and use it elsewhere. My bees were happy to keep building new honey frames in september. If you think about it, what that guy told you makes no sense. How would the bees handle having filled their current amount of comb, but still having nectar flow, in the late summer? Including wild hives. Since nectar amounts are variable from year to year, the bees cannot anticipate exactly how much space they'll need for honey when it's still June. They must be able to build up new comb/new frames at any time. The reality is, young bees produce wax automatically; and there are young bees in the hive all the way until early winter. They might slow down wax production somewhat as the summer gets near the end, but it won't end completely until a few weeks after the queen stops producing new bees. Of course, the actual months depends on your location. If there is *no* autumn nectar flow, then I guess, maybe. But I think you're fine to add new honey supers at any time that the current ones are full. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Mar 13, 2011 |
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Mar 13, 2011 20:13
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I was out checking on my failed colony today and it looks like they starved. Every bit of comb was completely devoid of any honey. When I checked them towards the end of last year they had almost completely filled both the deeps. I don't really understand how the winter cluster could go through that many frames of honey in a single winter and not have enough to survive. On a positive note, while I was out examining and cleaning the hive a lone bee showed up and started wandering around. I went ahead and dribbled some lemongrass oil (sorry Shotgun but it had already arrived) on the entrance and the tops of a couple of frames. Hopefully the loner that showed up was a scout and she'll bring the family in for a party. By-the-by, when I started this thread I didn't realize how popular it was going to be and how long it was going to go. The OP is woefully inadequate and there are a number of people now posting who know a heck of a lot more about this stuff than I do. If somebody is willing to put together a decent OP and start a new thread, let me know and we can point people there and close this one here. TouchyMcFeely fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Mar 13, 2011 |
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Mar 13, 2011 20:30
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Hey Touchy, I would suggest leaving the OP as it is. It has the absolute perfect amount of information and enthusiasm to hook "newbees". I basically went through the whole thread in one sitting and by the end of it was hell bent on making a top bar hive. There is enough quality information throughout the thread body to keep the reader informed, and you don't really want to swamp people with details right off the bat and overwhelm them. Awesome thread is awesome as it is. Thanks again to introducing me to this wonderful wonderful world of bees.
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Mar 13, 2011 21:05
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Thanks DG. I ran across an interesting video on YouTube from a hardcore beekeeper on how he processes and prepares wax. He's well out of the realm of hobbyist but I thought it was pretty interesting with some good information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjocJKzo128
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Mar 13, 2011 23:42
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Leperflesh posted:My bees were happy to keep building new honey frames in september. If you think about it, what that guy told you makes no sense. How would the bees handle having filled their current amount of comb, but still having nectar flow, in the late summer? Including wild hives. Since nectar amounts are variable from year to year, the bees cannot anticipate exactly how much space they'll need for honey when it's still June. They must be able to build up new comb/new frames at any time. It didn't make much sense to me either, but since the guy is a commercial beekeeper with 300 hives, Chairman of the Eastern Apiculture Society, and past president of the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association I figured he knew what he was talking about. According to him, at least for the Philadelphia region, after the spring flow they stop making wax for the summer dearth, which makes sense, but then when the September flow starts up they rarely fill out new comb. That's the part that seemed odd, but I figure experience trumps book reading.
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Mar 14, 2011 02:13
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Well, nesbit, he's way more experienced than I am... and I'm also in California, where no doubt we have a very different climate and nectar flow pattern. I'd suggest it wouldn't hurt to give them a few empty frames and see what they do with them.
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Mar 14, 2011 03:23
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DominionGalactica posted:Hey Touchy, I would suggest leaving the OP as it is. It has the absolute perfect amount of information and enthusiasm to hook "newbees". I basically went through the whole thread in one sitting and by the end of it was hell bent on making a top bar hive. As a crotchety old beekeeper, please do not do this. I know that there is a huge amount of internet hype about top bar hives and how great and 'natural' they are, but please don't buy into it just because there are forums devoted to it on the internet. Think of it this way: In the wild bees live in hollow trees, long VERTICAL enclosed spaces. Their natural instinct is to build vertically, keeping the heavy honey at the very top of the hive where the comb is the strongest and storing the light pollen and brood at the bottom. This instinct is what beekeepers take advantage of to encourage growth and production (and limit swarming behavior) by adding additional hive bodies or supers to the top of the hive. If they always have space on top to fill, they are fooled into believing that there is always space to expand within the colony. Bees are dumb, but they are creatures of habit. Honey is always preferentially placed vertically OVER the brood. Have you spotted the problem with top bar hives yet? They're horizontal. No matter how many bars you add to the end, the bees are limited vertically almost immediately and so they tend to respond as such. They will build out horizontally eventually but they tend to swarm prolifically, and because you can't add more vertical boxes, there is little you can do to prevent it other than constantly cutting out queen cells or letting them swarm. Get a Langstroth. If you decide that you want to try top bars once you get a little experience, give it a shot.
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Mar 14, 2011 03:33
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Nah there are a number of other factors involved: not just internet forums bringing out the hippy in me. I have arthritis, and very little strength left in my hands and wrists, so a TBH appeals to me as i wont have to be trying to lift potentially very heavy parts of a langstroth. Since I wouldn't be able to keep adding supers on top (because I wont be able to remove them at all), I may as well try the TBH. I have been researching them and while I realise they are not as bountiful as some other hive designs, its my best option at this point in time. Hopefully I can make it work for me, and if not, at least I've tried and learned something new! I am still pretty excited.
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Mar 14, 2011 08:59
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http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/queenofthesun/ New documentary coming out about bees and beekeepers. I'm not brushing my facial hair over my bees, sorry dude.
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Mar 14, 2011 22:12
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/queenofthesun/ Nice! Here is their official site in case you want it. http://www.queenofthesun.com/
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Mar 14, 2011 22:37
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/queenofthesun/ Good trailer - Got me excited for another year of beekeeping, hopefully more successful than last year!
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Mar 14, 2011 22:57
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Well, dadant won't take back the stuff I got, since I started to put it together before realizing it was the wrong size. Thanks a lot, dadant! You blow. EDIT: I told them their website descriptions are crap, but they aren't changing anything, I guarantee it. Ishamael fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Mar 16, 2011 |
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Mar 16, 2011 18:13
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Perhaps you could unload the 8 frame stuff on a middle aged female bee-keeper? Most of the over 40 women in my classes who are just starting seem to be starting with 8 frames so they don't have to strain as much lifting that sweet gold.
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Mar 16, 2011 19:35
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nesbit37 posted:Perhaps you could unload the 8 frame stuff on a middle aged female bee-keeper? Most of the over 40 women in my classes who are just starting seem to be starting with 8 frames so they don't have to strain as much lifting that sweet gold. Yeah I think I am going to finish building the 8-frame hive, paint it, and sell it. Or maybe I will just have 2 hives, a big and a little!
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Mar 16, 2011 20:35
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Ishamael posted:Well, dadant won't take back the stuff I got, since I started to put it together before realizing it was the wrong size. Uhhh... I just looked at their site and their 8 frame equipment has it's own section and every piece of 8 frame equipment clearly states that it is "8 Frame" in both the name and description. Were you drunk when you ordered?
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Mar 17, 2011 04:10
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ShotgunWillie posted:Uhhh... Sorry dude, this is my first Lang hive, I didn't even know there was a difference until I started assembling them. I ordered the hive base first, and then all the deeps and supers didn't say anything about how many frames they had, so I assumed all the hive pieces they sold were compatible. Take a look at betterbee's site for an example of a site that is actually laid out well.
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Mar 17, 2011 04:26
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Ishamael posted:Sorry dude, this is my first Lang hive, I didn't even know there was a difference until I started assembling them. I ordered the hive base first, and then all the deeps and supers didn't say anything about how many frames they had, so I assumed all the hive pieces they sold were compatible. So you ordered all this equipment without doing any research about the standard 10 frame Langstroth hive or knowing that there was a difference between 10 and 8 frame, didn't question that half of your order had "8 frame" in the name and half didn't, ASSEMBLED the order, figured out that you screwed up, and then accused Dadant of blowing because they wouldn't let you return it? You hosed up dude. Not them. Swallow your pride and get over it. 10 frame Langstroth ARE THE STANDARD. 10 frame equipment doesn't need to be specifically labeled as 10 frame because it is so ubiquitous AND because everything that isn't 10 frame (like 8 frame) is labed as such. I'm pretty sure that every single beginning beekeeping book has an entire section on the 10 frame Langstroth hive, and most of the newer ones make mention of 8 frame equipment and how it's different. BetterBee has a 10 frame and an 8 frame section. Dadant (and a lot of other manufacturers) have a Woodenware section (for standard 10 frame equipment) AND an 8 Frame Woodenware section. Did you mean to order all 8-frame equipment, or all 10 frame equipment?
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Mar 17, 2011 04:44
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Awww...c'mon guys. Let's try to keep it civil. We're not in GBS. Simple enough mistake to make for a new guy to make and it shows how anything can get messed up when assumptions (on either side) get made. On to other news, the weather's been cold and rainy the last few days and I haven't seen any more activity at my empty hive. Not sure if I need to add more lemongrass oil or not but I'm thinking I'll reapply this weekend if the weather is nice.
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Mar 17, 2011 05:00
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ShotgunWillie posted:10 frame Langstroth ARE THE STANDARD. 10 frame equipment doesn't need to be specifically labeled as 10 frame because it is so ubiquitous AND because everything that isn't 10 frame (like 8 frame) is labed as such. I'm pretty sure that every single beginning beekeeping book has an entire section on the 10 frame Langstroth hive, and most of the newer ones make mention of 8 frame equipment and how it's different. Jesus christ, gently caress off. Yes, I ordered the 8-frame kit by accident without realizing it was an 8-frame. I learned after it was half-assembled that I had made this mistake. Thanks for pointing this out and for being a giant dick. I contacted the company and tried to work something out with them. They told me no. The same day, my wife accidentally ordered the wrong thing from amazon. She contacted them and they straightened it all out, and told her to keep the extra item, and shipped the new one overnight at no charge. One of these is good customer service. I have no doubt that I will pay for a new 10-frame hive body with bottom, inner cover and outer cover. But I was hoping to get some help as a new beekeeper from the company I bought the poo poo from. They had no interest in that, and it made me annoyed. That's all.
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Mar 17, 2011 05:11
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Ishamael posted:Jesus christ, gently caress off. Yes, I ordered the 8-frame kit by accident without realizing it was an 8-frame. I learned after it was half-assembled that I had made this mistake. Thanks for pointing this out and for being a giant dick. You know what? You're right. I'm being a dick, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't be a jerk about it. It's been a long time since I was a new beekeeper and maybe I've forgotten how confusing all the equipment and terms where when I was starting out. I don't think they even MADE 8 frame equipment when I was ordering my first hives, and maybe that's the only thing that saved me from making the same sort of mistake. Still, I think that you should give the company a pass on this one. The comparison to Amazon isn't really fair; it's apples to oranges, Walmart to a Mom and Pop general store. The woodenware business is low margin and most of the manufacturers are family owned 'small businesses'. I doubt that Dadant could afford to have the same sort of super cushy return policy that Amazon has and stay in business. If they had made a shipping error- shipped you 8 frame when you ordered 10 frame, or something had been damaged in transit, they would have done a return, but being mad at them for not accepting assembled (used) equipment is not fair on your part. Next time, you should test fit all the equipment together before you start nailing. That's a good idea regardless and lets you check for any broken bits or errors. For anyone who is worried that something like this might happen to them, I urge you to call up Dadant/Mann Lake/Brushy Mountain/BetterBee or whatever company you are ordering from and talk to their customer service about what you want to get. Most everyone at the company keeps bees themselves, and they are usually more than happy to offer advice to new beekeepers. Maybe a fuller breakdown of what a new beekeeper should get and the differences between different types of hives is something that should go into an updated OP. Do you think that would help?
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Mar 17, 2011 13:49
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My first sting! Today I'm a man.
Raskolnikov2089 fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Mar 20, 2011 |
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Mar 20, 2011 19:18
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:My first sting! Today I'm a man. Pics or it didn't happen.
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Mar 20, 2011 21:01
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It didn't cause any swelling, so yay for that. I wasn't sure since I haven't been stung since I was 7. In other news, we put the first super on the langstroth. The queen is laying like crazy and there were so very, very many bees. Opened up the top bar which was quiet, and there weren't many bees at all. Checked all the comb and saw only 3 sealed brood, and no eggs that we could find. Still a package size amount of bees in there, but I think either the queen absconded or she's dead  Not sure why she'd wait until now to abscond, since we put her in there last march. Maybe with the first warm days she'd had enough of the TBH, which I don't think was as weatherly as the langstroth.
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Mar 29, 2011 02:02
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:It didn't cause any swelling, so yay for that. I wasn't sure since I haven't been stung since I was 7. How did you introduce the queen originally? You should requeen quiiiiiick. Where are you located? Edit: Reading comprehension. I didn't realize that these were overwintered hives. Looking back at your post history, I thought you mentioned getting Carnolians, but the pictures you posted are of Italians? Did you change your mind? Also, how did you not get stung until now. 
ShotgunWillie fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Mar 29, 2011 |
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Mar 29, 2011 02:20
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Nope, all Italians. Very respectful of the bees, but it helps that they're a docile lot. We don't work with suits either, just gloves and veil. The only reason I got stung this time is because I was looking at the hive and a returning worker flew into my eye, forcing panicked swiping from me. I'm looking for a queen but I don't think it's going to happen in time. No one local (south Texas) seems to have one for at least a week, and I'm thinking given the complete lack of brood, the hive won't be strong enough to last.
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Mar 29, 2011 05:50
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:Nope, all Italians. Very respectful of the bees, but it helps that they're a docile lot. We don't work with suits either, just gloves and veil. The only reason I got stung this time is because I was looking at the hive and a returning worker flew into my eye, forcing panicked swiping from me. Try Olivarez in NorCal. OHBees.com. I've heard good things about them, and a lot of people here in NYC get Olivarez carnolians and love them. How's the population in your regular langstroth? Have you done a split yet?
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Mar 29, 2011 13:24
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Hello bee goons. My wife has always said she'd like to keep bees, and after looking into it, I think it'd be pretty cool to do as well. The problem is that we don't really have anywhere to keep them. We live in a townhouse complex, and for various reasons it's just not doable to keep them there. However, my parents are about a 20 minute drive away, and they have about an acre of land. My dad has a fair sized vegetable garden there, so that would be a bonus for him. I haven't actually asked them if we could keep bees there, but I'd bet they'd be open to it. My question though, is how much work is keeping bees? About how many hours per week, and how often? Is it something we could just pop over there for a couple of hours every weekend to look after, or do they need daily care?
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Mar 29, 2011 21:40
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Lemons posted:A couple of hours every weekend to look after. You got it. Bees make good pets. They clean, feed and water themselves for the most part with some help in the early spring and late fall. Your job is mainly to check in on them once every week or two, check for signs of disease, give them more room so they don't swarm and give them food if there is a dearth. It can be a really relaxing hobby, and it takes a hell of a lot time than say, a dog.
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Mar 29, 2011 22:01
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