Bees

[user 7704]

Texas. Do you place the sugar water directly on the frames or do you put on the inner cover and place the water on top of it. To me that sounds like the smart thing to do in case of leakage etc.

Your opinion please.

Also, from the videos it seems that there are different ways to install the wax sheets . The object is that everything is sturdy. Am I correct? I see some don't even use foundations.

Thanks. We are expecting flooding and he said I may have to pick them up today, but not install until Monday. How do I feed the nuc until then? The feeder won't fit.

Thanks for all of your words of wisdom.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Texas. Do you place the sugar water directly on the frames or do you put on the inner cover and place the water on top of it. To me that sounds like the smart thing to do in case of leakage etc.

Your opinion please.

Also, from the videos it seems that there are different ways to install the wax sheets . The object is that everything is sturdy. Am I correct? I see some don't even use foundations.

Thanks. We are expecting flooding and he said I may have to pick them up today, but not install until Monday. How do I feed the nuc until then? The feeder won't fit.

Thanks for all of your words of wisdom.

Good questions. OK, different types of feeders. When I say 'frame feeder', see:
https://www.mannlakeltd.com/9-1-8-pro-feeder-2-wide-1-gallon-with-cap-ladder

You are putting a gallon of sugar water into it, no way to 'put that directly on frames'. It has 2 holes on top with 'ladder' inserts so the bees can climb down without drowning. These work fairly well, but they take 1 or 2 frame positions.

Yes, the idea is to have the foundation firmly in place. Remember that it's going to hold 5-10 pounds of honey which is quite a bit for that little space. Foundation-less is one strategy, but it is more advanced and you should not start there. Easiest starting point is plastic, next is wax. Foundationless requires some different handling skills.

For feeding your nuc, ask the seller. Depending on the type of 'nuc' (wood, plastic, etc), you can feed different ways. An entrance feeder could work (note I don't like them as they encourage robbing, but for a day or two in bad weather it'll be fine). Depending on how much honey/nectar/pollen are on the frames, you may not need to feed them if it's just a day or two.

As always, ask your mentor and seller their guidance. They have the experience & know what you are getting and are vested in your success.

 

[user 7704]

These are my feeders. 1.5 pint mason jars. Came with kit.

 

[user 7704]

I know these are made for outside feeders, but won't do that of course.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Robin,
Those are called 'entrance feeders'. The jar itself sits outside the hive, and that little lip inserts into part of the entrance. The idea is that bees inside can drink it. The problem is that if other bees are hungry, they will smell that sugar water. They walk in the entrance an inch or two, and there's the sugar water. It's hard for a weak hive to defend against that.

Just search for 'entrance feeder bees' and you'll see a million pictures of how it is used. If your bees are hungry, it is worth trying this. You don't need both, that might block the entire entrance of a nuc and suffocate the bees!

But, this is the feeder you have, go ahead & use it. And again, talk to your mentor...

 

[user 7704]

After i put them in the hive, can't I just sit it inside on the inner cover?

 

[DrHenley]

Texas, I gotta ask...

What do wild bees eat when nectar isn't in season?

 

[TexasFreedom]

After i put them in the hive, can't I just sit it inside on the inner cover?

That is an option. If you have an extra box or two, stack them up with no frames & set the feeder on top the lower frames. That will reduce robbing. HOWEVER, the bees will now have a large cavity above them. They will start drawing comb down from the cover. Maybe not on day one, but sooner than later & it'll be a mess to clean up. But you are dealing with the bees in a nuc, right? Do you have more nuc boxes to stack up like this?

Texas, I gotta ask... What do wild bees eat when nectar isn't in season?

Doc, Bees were one of the world's first preppers. I'll ask you, what would you eat if SHTF and you couldn't go to the store? Of course you have reserves of rice and beans and such, and you'd break into those. Same for bees. They take nectar & 'process' it, converting it into honey. Nectar will go bad fairly quickly but honey will store for centuries. Bees store honey and they store pollen. That is what gets them through dearths (when there is no food to collect) and winter. To keep bees alive, honey or plain sugar water will suffice for a time. But when the bees are trying to raise their babies (brood), they need both the honey and pollen. Isn't God's creation amazing?

Now my snarky answer would be to say that bees just apply for welfare & live off the gov't! Or is that racist to say that?

 

[user 7704]

I found out i have 3 types of frames. One says "beginner friendly" . I just insert from the top then add the supports on the side. Yeah baby. I bought 100 Bobby pins and they are working great as side supports. Lots cheaper too.

 

[DrHenley]

Now my snarky answer would be to say that bees just apply for welfare & live off the gov't! Or is that racist to say that?

It sounds like the bees in managed hives do just that

 

[TexasFreedom]

I found out i have 3 types of frames. One says "beginner friendly" . I just insert from the top then add the supports on the side. Yeah baby. I bought 100 Bobby pins and they are working great as side supports. Lots cheaper too.

3 types? I'm not going to ask how that happened. But you know, now you can address each type. Note that the bees will go after the wax frames first (put them in center), plastic foundation second, and all-plastic frames+foundation last.

It sounds like the bees in managed hives do just that

Bite your tongue! That is really rude to compare bees to welfare leaches. The bees pay their rent in full. In fact they are more like slaves than freeloaders. They're like the rich corporations: they work hard reaping the rewards, then big gov't (me the BK) comes in & steals their honey, their wax, their pollen. I divide families. And their only reward is that I force them to live in my hive bodies. And if they escape, I try to re-capture them in another box! Slavery...

 

[user 7704]

I found a bag of hickory chips and it doesnt say they have any additives. The are the perfect size for my smoker, but I don't want to poison them. I just remembered that it pouring rain and all of my tree twigs will be soaked.

I should have prepped my wood yesterday. Newbie mistake.

 

[user 7704]

I found out i have 3 types of frames. One says "beginner friendly" . I just insert from the top then add the supports on the side. Yeah baby. I bought 100 Bobby pins and they are working great as side supports. Lots cheaper too.

I have three types because I had one type come with the kit. Then I ordered a deep and 10 frames and they were unassembled. Then I ordered a new hive and deep and they came with assembled frames with the removable wedges.

 

[TexasFreedom]

I found a bag of hickory chips and it doesnt say they have any additives. The are the perfect size for my smoker, but I don't want to poison them. I just remembered that it pouring rain and all of my tree twigs will be soaked.
I should have prepped my wood yesterday. Newbie mistake.

Could be worse. I use cow pies, dry, very dry cow pies. Wet... not really a choice! I've not used hickory, but others do & they work.

I have three types because I had one type come with the kit. Then I ordered a deep and 10 frames and they were unassembled. Then I ordered a new hive and deep and they came with assembled frames with the removable wedges.

Remember when I said the majority of issues are caused by the beekeeper themselves? Yup, one more example... But you got to see how little things make a big difference.

 

[user 7704]

Too cold for bees today. All of that anxiety for nothing.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Actually that is funny. Another friend of mine up in TN went out & did a cutout today, removing bees from a structure. I know, it's a long state & weather varies up & down mountains. But still funny.

 

[user 7704]

We had a few snowflakes. The main reason I couldn't get mine is he is marking my queens and won't open nuc when this cold. We have a freeze warning and it poured rain in the a.m.

 

[user 7704]

It is official......I AM A BEEKEEPER. Got my two nucs today. Changing them over tomorrow when it warms. Wish me luck.

I sweet talked and got both of my queens marked. He said don't tell people, because I won't do this for everyone.

I'm rather apprehensive.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Got the hive painted yesterday. I picked up a hat, veil, gloves and some tools. Oh, and got the smoker today. Got a place picked out for the hive and will fence it tomorrow. The bees should arrive any day. Now the wife wants me to build little ramps in the stock water troughs so her bees don't drown when they get a drink. This is a great hobby for her. So far all she's done is order the bees. She'll be at work until late May missing out on all the fun around here.

 

[user 7704]

Got the hive painted yesterday. I picked up a hat, veil, gloves and some tools. Oh, and got the smoker today. Got a place picked out for the hive and will fence it tomorrow. The bees should arrive any day. Now the wife wants me to build little ramps in the stock water troughs so her bees don't drown when they get a drink. This is a great hobby for her. So far all she's done is order the bees. She'll be at work until late May missing out on all the fun around here.

You can get those really cute decorative rocks and put in the water so they don't drown. I just used quarry gravel because no one sees my stuff except me.

 

[Mountain trapper]

You can get those really cute decorative rocks and put in the water so they don't drown. I just used quarry gravel because no one sees my stuff except me.

Rocks that float?

 

[user 7704]

Rocks that float?

No. I use a shallow waterer and add the rocks because those critters are prone to drowning. We had a swarm and they would drown in our pool edge which was only 1 inch deep.

 

[user 7704]

Okay, funny story for the day. My son, for newbies, he is a special needs person, when we pulled up to the bee hives, saw the smoker and he said "oh, is he cooking the bees?" I cracked up.

That incoherent sentence sounds as if it was written my Donald Trump.

 

[Mountain trapper]

No. I use a shallow waterer and add the rocks because those critters are prone to drowning. We had a swarm and they would drown in our pool edge which was only 1 inch deep.

I see. Our stock waterers are about 2' deep. They do a great job of drowning yellow jackets but don't really want the honey bees to drown.

 

[user 7704]

I see. Our stock waterers are about 2' deep. They do a great job of drowning yellow jackets but don't really want the honey bees to drown.

Im using one of those chicken waterers. Plus I'm putting pea gravel in the birdfeeder as a precaution

 

[Mountain trapper]

Im using one of those chicken waterers. Plus I'm putting pea gravel in the birdfeeder as a precaution

That's a good idea. I just didn't want to haul water any further than I had to though. The bee area is about 400-500' from the water line. I'm planning to run water to the chicken coop and garden but the bees will be the other direction.

 

[user 7704]

I'm not sure how much water they drink. I hanging a one gallon chicken waterer from a tree close to the hives. Hopefully, it will keep them away from the pool. I don' use chlorine or salt so that won't attract them. I use an ion generator only.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Put a piece of nylon rope in the waterer, it will keep them from drowning in it. 1 gallon is not that much, keep an eye on it and never, never, never let it go dry.

 

[user 7704]

Put a piece of nylon rope in the waterer, it will keep them from drowning in it. 1 gallon is not that much, keep an eye on it and never, never, never let it go dry.

I change chicks daily, so I'll just add to rotation

 

[Mountain trapper]

I change chicks daily, so I'll just add to rotation

Daily? You spoil your chicks Robin. I haven't watered our chickens in weeks. This time of year we have springs everywhere. They just go water themselves. When it drys out later this Spring I'm going to setup an automatic waterer for them.