keljonma's Front Porch - Settling in and adjusting

[Quail_Antwerp]

Yeah, only one hive, QA. How is your mom's beekeeping going?

My mom has two hives, but she lost one. She said it was her own fault - something she did wrong at install time or something. I dunno.

The other hive is thriving, though.

 

[keljonma]

Yeah, only one hive, QA. How is your mom's beekeeping going?

My mom has two hives, but she lost one. She said it was her own fault - something she did wrong at install time or something. I dunno.

The other hive is thriving, though.

Sorry to hear that. Will your mom put another package of bees in the hive she lost? How does that work with the program in your area? Ashtabula County does not have a beek program, although I wrote to the OSU Extension Agent here early 2009 to ask about it. I guess the thought is that there are enough beeks in our county that the program (to get more new beeks) isnt needed (in their mind).

I know it is not much consolation for her, but I understand from a local guy who has been keeping bees for about 20 years that it is not unusual to lose a hive (especially for first time beeks).

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

well, i'm not up on all the bee lingo, but I think she said something about watching to see if the queen lays more queen supers? - er, not sure if I'm remembering right - but basically she's watching for what will hatch as a new queen, and then she plans to move that frame with it's brood to the other hive. I guess.

Hope it works for her.

 

[Ohioann]

I was a new beek last year and lost both of my hives this winter. Have installed new packages and they are doing well. Really need to get into them this week and see if they need another super but it's been so rainy.
I've gotten lots of help and good advice from the local county bee club. I belong to both Carroll Co. and Stark Co. (Ohio) bee clubs and try to get to them each month so I can learn more.
Bee Culture magazine is a good source of information and then in March each year there is a big bee conference at Ohio State University's ATI campus in Wooster, OH. Over 975 people there this year plus vendors. It takes a while to get comfortable working around the bees and I'm still learning how to keep that darn smoker going !

 

[keljonma]

well, i'm not up on all the bee lingo, but I think she said something about watching to see if the queen lays more queen supers? - er, not sure if I'm remembering right - but basically she's watching for what will hatch as a new queen, and then she plans to move that frame with it's brood to the other hive. I guess.

Hope it works for her.

QA, it sounds like your moms queen died or flew off and she is waiting to see if the colony will replace the queen.

The 2 differences between a queen and a worker are

#1 - the time from egg lay to ready to hatch (16 days for queen, 21 for worker bee).

And #2 She is fed royal jelly by the nursery bees longer than a developing worker bee.

The queen cell will look like a peanut on the frame it will be huge in comparison to other cells.

If a new queen hatches, your mom better hope there are enough drones to meet the new virgin queen in her mating flight..

 

[keljonma]

I was a new beek last year and lost both of my hives this winter. Have installed new packages and they are doing well. Really need to get into them this week and see if they need another super but it's been so rainy.
I've gotten lots of help and good advice from the local county bee club. I belong to both Carroll Co. and Stark Co. (Ohio) bee clubs and try to get to them each month so I can learn more.
Bee Culture magazine is a good source of information and then in March each year there is a big bee conference at Ohio State University's ATI campus in Wooster, OH. Over 975 people there this year plus vendors. It takes a while to get comfortable working around the bees and I'm still learning how to keep that darn smoker going !

Welcome to my front porch, Ohioann! It is good to hear from another Ohioan - and a beek, as well!

TR and I were supposed to get bees 5 years ago, but always put it off for one reason or another. Like almost everything in my life, I research a thing to death before jumping in with both feet.

We have been members of the Ashtabula County Beek Assoc for 5 years now. We haven't been to the OSU spring workshops in Wooster yet, as unfortunately, it hasn't ever fit into our work schedules or budgets. We are very fortunate that a couple of our church members are beeks and we have a good support group in ACBA.

I feel your frustration! I too am hoping that I don't have to delay checking the queen and brood pattern. I am really thankful that we haven't had snow like we did last year at Mother's Day! Do you know why your hives did not survive this past winter?

I love being and working with the bees. Since we installed them, TR and I have spent some time sitting out by the hive every day (okay, it's mostly me ) watching their comings and goings (when it is nice out). TR thinks I am nuts to put my head up against the super to listen to the bees when the weather is not nice enough for them to take flight.

In prior years, I used to sit out in the back farm yard on a pile of rocks by the barn. That area was surrounded by wild flowers, dandelions, clovers, thistles and the like. I used to love sitting out there watching the local honeybees and The Ladies and Sam would be out searching for juicy yard goodies and pasture grass. It was just a pert near perfect way to spend a sunny spring or summer day.....

The SMOKER is an animal unto itself! It does take some practice to get it to work properly and to provide cool smoke for as long as you need it. What are you using for fuel? I am using newspaper, dried grasses and cotton rags (old bath towels cut up into pieces) and that seems to work well for me. I read in a recent issue of Bee Culture that Dr. James Tew uses cedar animal bedding in his smoker. (It was an article about being a beek after age 50). But I also saw some discussion on a couple bee forums that some people think cedar is not good in a smoker. Just like working with chickens - everyone seems to do things differently.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

*raises hand*

I was just wondering if you're going to study the bees, get to know each ones personality, and name them accordingly?




I couldn't help asking!

 

[keljonma]

*raises hand*

I was just wondering if you're going to study the bees, get to know each ones personality, and name them accordingly?




I couldn't help asking!

Funny, QA! TR has already told our dgd and dgs#1 that they need to come up with 10,000 names for the female worker bees!

Since the Queen is the only one to live longer than 1 year, most beeks only name the Queen or the Hive itself. So far, we havent done either. Although that doesnt mean I am not thinking about it.

 

[Ohioann]

I think the cold weather got the one hive as it was still full of bees but the other one was (I think) a late season swarm and the bees that were left didn't have enough mass to keep themselves going. That one was probably due to my inexperience. I took the bees that were in the hive (less than a pint jar full) and a frame to my local bee inspector and the said there did not appear to be any disease process going on.
I start my smoker with newspaper and have used wood chips/stall bedding (not cedar), dried pine needles and punky wood. Have had the best luck with the bedding. Again I think I'm too timid. Was at a recent bee club workshop on splitting a hive and they had their smokers really roaring before they added chips and shut them up. Also only having two hives I don't need a smoker to keep going for as long as multiple hive apiaries so haven't been aggressive enough. I really am enjoying the bee experience and am planting more "bee friendly" perennials especially fall flowering ones. Also hope that the bees will like the wild raspberry bushes in the pasture so I get a really good crop this year!!

I was a new beek last year and lost both of my hives this winter. Have installed new packages and they are doing well. Really need to get into them this week and see if they need another super but it's been so rainy.
I've gotten lots of help and good advice from the local county bee club. I belong to both Carroll Co. and Stark Co. (Ohio) bee clubs and try to get to them each month so I can learn more.
Bee Culture magazine is a good source of information and then in March each year there is a big bee conference at Ohio State University's ATI campus in Wooster, OH. Over 975 people there this year plus vendors. It takes a while to get comfortable working around the bees and I'm still learning how to keep that darn smoker going !

Welcome to my front porch, Ohioann! It is good to hear from another Ohioan - and a beek, as well!

TR and I were supposed to get bees 5 years ago, but always put it off for one reason or another. Like almost everything in my life, I research a thing to death before jumping in with both feet.

We have been members of the Ashtabula County Beek Assoc for 5 years now. We haven't been to the OSU spring workshops in Wooster yet, as unfortunately, it hasn't ever fit into our work schedules or budgets. We are very fortunate that a couple of our church members are beeks and we have a good support group in ACBA.

I feel your frustration! I too am hoping that I don't have to delay checking the queen and brood pattern. I am really thankful that we haven't had snow like we did last year at Mother's Day! Do you know why your hives did not survive this past winter?

I love being and working with the bees. Since we installed them, TR and I have spent some time sitting out by the hive every day (okay, it's mostly me ) watching their comings and goings (when it is nice out). TR thinks I am nuts to put my head up against the super to listen to the bees when the weather is not nice enough for them to take flight.

In prior years, I used to sit out in the back farm yard on a pile of rocks by the barn. That area was surrounded by wild flowers, dandelions, clovers, thistles and the like. I used to love sitting out there watching the local honeybees and The Ladies and Sam would be out searching for juicy yard goodies and pasture grass. It was just a pert near perfect way to spend a sunny spring or summer day.....

The SMOKER is an animal unto itself! It does take some practice to get it to work properly and to provide cool smoke for as long as you need it. What are you using for fuel? I am using newspaper, dried grasses and cotton rags (old bath towels cut up into pieces) and that seems to work well for me. I read in a recent issue of Bee Culture that Dr. James Tew uses cedar animal bedding in his smoker. (It was an article about being a beek after age 50). But I also saw some discussion on a couple bee forums that some people think cedar is not good in a smoker. Just like working with chickens - everyone seems to do things differently.

 

[keljonma]

Yesterday TR worked on the floor at the church for 9 1/2 hours without a break! He was pretty tired when he got home.

I cooked a fry-up for dinner (pepper bacon, eggs, hash browns and whole wheat toast). Then we watched 2 dvds we borrowed from the library - a Nature film about Hummingbirds and a George Clooney movie called Up In The Air. We were in bed reading by 9 pm and I think I shut the lights out by 9:30!!

After dinner, TR's boss called to say the work schedule was changed - and TR is working modified 2nd shift tonight and Friday night (4:30 pm to 1 am). Then he has the week-end off.