Bees

[user 7704]

I kept my nuc boxes in case I ever need to chase some down.

 

[Survivor_316]

I noticed this week the bees are gone. I don't even know when it happened. I'm in over my head this year.

It seems everyone is sold out of packages locally. Any advice from you experienced bee keepers? I have no idea what I am doing. I'm considering just no bees again until I catch up on everyone else.

 

[user 7704]

I noticed this week the bees are gone. I don't even know when it happened. I'm in over my head this year.

It seems everyone is sold out of packages locally. Any advice from you experienced bee keepers? I have no idea what I am doing. I'm considering just no bees again until I catch up on everyone else.

Bees are finicky. I had 2 hives abscond a week apart. This is after they had survived the winter. My mentor says they just take off. I know if they go queen less, they will swarm. Did you check for wax moths (white webs)?

 

[Survivor_316]

Bees are finicky. I had 2 hives abscond a week apart. This is after they had survived the winter. My mentor says they just take off. I know if they go queen less, they will swarm. Did you check for wax moths (white webs)?

No, I didn't. I will check that out! Thank you!

 

[user 7704]

I had moths in the 2 hives that swarmed. I just remembered.

 

[Survivor_316]

I had moths in the 2 hives that swarmed. I just remembered.

I didn't see any but I just gave a cursory look because it was raining. I am not very good at this beekeeping stuff!

 

[Mountain trapper]

We've lost 5 hives so far, and haven't got a drop of honey yet. We're down to 1 hive. If we lose it we're done with honey bees. For us, it's far cheaper to buy honey.

 

[Survivor_316]

We've lost 5 hives so far, and haven't got a drop of honey yet. We're down to 1 hive. If we lose it we're done with honey bees. For us, it's far cheaper to buy honey.

If I had 5 hives lost, I would throw in the towel, too.

Heck, I think I am ready to anyway.

 

[user 7704]

I keep them for pollination mainly. Honey is a gift. I have only had one really good harvest in 4 years, but this year........haha

 

[Survivor_316]

I keep them for pollination mainly. Honey is a gift. I have only had one really good harvest in 4 years, but this year........haha

That's why I wanted them, too. Oh well. Maybe in the future.

 

[Oddcaliber]

The History Guy has a video on his channel about beekeeping. Worth the watch.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

We watch the History Guy all the time. He does a great job of presenting a subject! Entertaining too!

 

[user 7704]

I was fully suited and I was attacked. Some got into my face netting and stung me 3 times. Got me through my pants and socks. I got stung on both ankles, butt and I can't really tell but I think on my arm too.

I took off, ran to pool and turned the hose on me and washed them off my suit before I attempted to get the head part off.

I went back and The good news is one hive is full of honey so I put another super on it. One hive looks really weak. Not many bees at all and no honey. The hive that attacked me, has some hone but not full like the other.

My nose is throbbing. I chewed some plantain and put in on my nose.

 

[poltiregist]

A few days ago my son-in-law and daughter responded for a cry to rid bees from a house . The bees had been in the house about 20 years . Other bee keepers had tried " and failed " to remove them . My survival crew had the outside wall removed whereas they found comb about 2 feet wide and 8 feet long . They used a modified shop vac vacuum cleaner to suck them up . They recovered the queen along with the bees and arriving back at our survival grounds we put them in a hive with the queen " after we marked her " . Also we put some in a Nuke with an unhatched queen cell . Yesterday I was checking on the new hives and found a very strong hive and the nuke has bees going back and forth , but at this point do not know if they are building a new colony or if they are robber bees after some of the honey we placed in the nuke . We were busy into the night extracting and jarring up honey . --- Today they are back at the same house as there is a second hive in the walls , with the plan to remove them . If all goes well we will be repeating what we done a few days ago . --- They have people at two other locations waiting to get their bees removed . --- When bee removal slacks up we have our on grounds , hives to rob .

 

[user 7704]

A few days ago my son-in-law and daughter responded for a cry to rid bees from a house . The bees had been in the house about 20 years . Other bee keepers had tried " and failed " to remove them . My survival crew had the outside wall removed whereas they found comb about 2 feet wide and 8 feet long . They used a modified shop vac vacuum cleaner to suck them up . They recovered the queen along with the bees and arriving back at our survival grounds we put them in a hive with the queen " after we marked her " . Also we put some in a Nuke with an unhatched queen cell . Yesterday I was checking on the new hives and found a very strong hive and the nuke has bees going back and forth , but at this point do not know if they are building a new colony or if they are robber bees after some of the honey we placed in the nuke . We were busy into the night extracting and jarring up honey . --- Today they are back at the same house as there is a second hive in the walls , with the plan to remove them . If all goes well we will be repeating what we done a few days ago . --- They have people at two other locations waiting to get their bees removed . --- When bee removal slacks up we have our on grounds , hives to rob .

Good job. I went with my mentor to clear a swarm, but when we got there, it was gone. I'm still waiting for the chance. Just hope it isn't in the hot summer. The suit gets hot.

 

[poltiregist]

up-date -- the hive they are attempting to remove from the house today appears to be larger than the hive they removed a few days ago . Part of the house's roof will have to torn off so they aren't sure if the homeowner is that determined to have them removed . A meeting is scheduled with building contractors , home owner and my clan , perhaps now underway . The state's main bee expert has already came from the state capitol to confront this bee Delima .

 

[poltiregist]

Up-date -- The home owner decided to pay to have the roof torn off and the bees removed . My daughter and son-in-law will be leaving enroute to the bee job again at about 2 am in the morning as they have a long ways to go . Afterward swinging even further out to pick up two little girls to bring back to our retreat as their mother undergoes chemotherapy . Swinging back in the general direction of our retreat they have a bee situation at some sort of park to hopefully resolve . Getting back from today's trip they have a bucket of bees that they sucked up to put in a hive , but they don't know if they have the queen so they will have to sort through them to see if they find her .

 

[Survivor_316]

Up-date -- The home owner decided to pay to have the roof torn off and the bees removed . My daughter and son-in-law will be leaving enroute to the bee job again at about 2 am in the morning as they have a long ways to go . Afterward swinging even further out to pick up two little girls to bring back to our retreat as their mother undergoes chemotherapy . Swinging back in the general direction of our retreat they have a bee situation at some sort of park to hopefully resolve . Getting back from today's trip they have a bucket of bees that they sucked up to put in a hive , but they don't know if they have the queen so they will have to sort through them to see if they find her .

What kind of cancer? I'll be praying for their mama. God knows it's hard having little ones you worry about leaving behind in this crazy world.

 

[poltiregist]

What kind of cancer? I'll be praying for their mama. God knows it's hard having little ones you worry about leaving behind in this crazy world.

Though I admit that I am not up on cancers , was told it was non-malignment and was in her jaw bone .

 

[Survivor_316]

Though I admit that I am not up on cancers , was told it was non-malignment and was in her jaw bone .

That is awesome, then. Glad it is not malignant!

 

[poltiregist]

My clan working with the bees and doing a bee removal this weekend.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Can't the homeowner just gas the bees?

 

[poltiregist]

Can't the homeowner just gas the bees?

Actually I don't know the answer to that .

 

[poltiregist]

My son-in-law and I robbed bees today . The first hive we went into , not enough honey was capped and cured for extraction but we went on down into the brood chamber looking for the queen in the hopes of capturing and marking her . We failed to find her . -- Hive number two had lots of caped and cured honey , so we took what we thought we might use . We have it extracted and bottled up .

 

[user 7704]

My son-in-law and I robbed bees today . The first hive we went into , not enough honey was capped and cured for extraction but we went on down into the brood chamber looking for the queen in the hopes of capturing and marking her . We failed to find her . -- Hive number two had lots of caped and cured honey , so we took what we thought we might use . We have it extracted and bottled up .

Honey is messy to harvest. Decapping, extracting or crushing (this is what I do) pouring, etc. Honey seems to get on everything. I have to do mine in the kitchen because the bees follow it. Plus you have insects. I put down sheets everywhere, but it still is messy.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Our last bee hive is officially dead now. We've tried 7 hives over the last few years and every one has failed. We'll just write off bee keeping as a failure for our location.

 

[user 7704]

Our last bee hive is officially dead now. We've tried 7 hives over the last few years and every one has failed. We'll just write off bee keeping as a failure for our location.

In 5 years, I have only had one really good harvest. I usually lose one or two hives per year. I don't have your low Temps and snow to contend with. I understand you giving up.

 

[user 7704]

Put addition supers on two of my hives. I am actually going to have hone from two. One hive is making zero honey. Slackers

 

[user 7704]

My mentor had me disassemble a hive and put the frames against another hive.

Then he looked at my pics and thought he saw a new queen, so I had to suit up (so hot) and reassemble the hive. Hopefully, there is a new queen. He said I have nothing to lose by trying.

I immediately got into the pool.

 

[poltiregist]

This morning there was a very small swarm of bees hanging on a peach tree limb . They had rejected the hive they were provided . A few days ago my son-in law removed them from a camper park out of a split open tree . My 8 year old grandson spotted the swarm this morning as we were standing around discussing bees and such . My son in-law had an appointment he had to go to this morning but was planning to do something with the swarm around 11 or 12 today if they were still there . I haven't heard yet how that turned out .