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On my land there is a hive of bees that lives under a mattress. How viable is it for me to build or buy some bee boxes like I see under orchards and get them to move into the new home? How DO you entice bees to move? I want honey dammit! 
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Jun 3, 2009 07:49
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I picked up my hive yesterday! Woo! Some guy was selling eight hives on Craigslist and I bought one. It has one brood and two supers that are already well built out. I've taken a couple beekeeping workshops but I was NOT prepared for doing the move myself but sure learned a lot! 1. Initially closed their entrance at about 4:30 while it was still light out. Next thing I knew I knew the hive was covered in bees wanting to get in. I removed the screening and duct tape from the entrance and let them in. I then waited until dark. 2. I don't yet own a suit, veil, etc. I borrowed one that was way too small for me. This resulted in me getting stung more times than I could count. 3. Hives full of honey are HEAVY. Getting it into my truck was incredibly hard. 4. Working in the dark while it's also pouring rain is not so fun. However, I have a hive of bees at my land now and lots of beekeeping equipment enroute via Dadant. Wooo hoo!
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Sep 21, 2009 02:22
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TouchyMcFeely posted:Where do you live that you're just picking up a hive now?
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Sep 21, 2009 17:46
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Varroa mites recently came to Hawaii so I'm SUPER interested in top bar hives and smaller cells (and of course any other means of dealing with the little fuckers). In addition, the cost of shipping equipment here is utterly outrageous, so if I can make my hives, all the better. I have two feral hives near my land. Has anyone ever tried or heard of people transferring feral hives to top bar hives? We have an excavator working on our land right now. The vibration from that got the bees SUPER PISSED today. I ended up having to smoke them as it looked like they were about to go postal. I've never seen so many bees outside a hive before. Boy did it scare the poo poo out of the excavator operator. Hahah. I took a couple pictures of my bees today. They're super busy looking which is good considering the transfer. I'm not seeing any come in with pollen yet so maybe they're just exploring right now. You can see the duct tape and wood I screwed the supers and brood box together with for the move. I'll take that stuff off when I get my veil  
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Sep 22, 2009 04:31
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I popped open my top super today and at least three of the frames are completely filled with capped honey. Woo! That tells me my bottom super is probably chock full as well. As soon as my veils and other equipment get here, I want to harvest. Some questions though: 1. Do you guys know of any "harvesting honey for newbies" tutorials out there that are really good? 2. Do you take your frames out and return them the next day or? 3. Does the honey have to be treated in any way or can it remain raw? 4. If I have one brood box and two supers, how many frames of honey should I leave the bees? Keeping in mind that I'm in Hawaii and the bees can probably gather nectar and pollen almost year-round. Thanks! I'm excited *edit* Adding a picture of a full frame. Unfortunately the lighting is off but oh well. 
Socratic Moron fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Sep 25, 2009 |
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Sep 25, 2009 03:06
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Thank you guys for your advice, I appreciate it!disciplinary action posted:Cost of shipping aside, it's illegal(and a terrible idea) to import bees or equipment to any island due to varroa mites. It's also illegal to trap wild swarms within 5 miles of Hilo bay for the same reason. As for the 5 miles around Hilo, that may be, but the mites have already made their way to Kapoho  Island-wide infestation is only a matter of time at this point Are you on the BI?
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Sep 30, 2009 09:52
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If you've got as much varroa as you say and your bees aren't cleansing, get aggressive! Hell, the minute you see one mite, get aggressive. I haven't found mites yet, but I've proactively bought a screened bottom board, sticky boards, and drone frames. I refuse to use any harsh chemicals/meds and am very much on the lookout for other methods of control if anyone comes across any.walrusman posted:loving poo poo-loving goddamn son of a bitch yellowjackets... quote:Often a beekeeper will see yellow jackets trying to get into the entrance of a hive. If the hive is weak, a number of yellow jackets will invade and steal honey reserves. Yellow jackets are insect opportunist. If a beekeeper feels that yellow jackets killed his/her hive, what in fact happened with the hive occurred before the yellow jacket began to rob it out. Source Socratic Moron fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Oct 21, 2009 |
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Oct 21, 2009 17:53
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| # ¿ Apr 30, 2024 20:10 |
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Are you in a climate where food will be scarce for them right now? If so, maybe feed them so they can build their numbers back up? Have you checked for diseases?
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Oct 22, 2009 04:21
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