Yesterday I checked on the Backyard bees. I looked through the top honey super and found frames 4, 5 and 6 ready for harvest. The rest of the frames have honey in them and are slowly being capped. The bottom honey super has a lot of bees but not much storage going on. I looked through frames 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the top hive body. I found fresh eggs as well as larva and capped brood. I didn't inspect any further.
Today
Backyard Bees
At about 1:30pm there was a few thousand bees swirling around in front of the hive. It really looked like the start of a swarm. But then the bees settled back on the hive and went inside. There were still hundreds of bees doing orientation flights for awhile but none of the swarmlike activity.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
18 September,2010 - 9 am
It was 82º at the Bee Yard. Clear skies with light winds.
Swarm Hive
Honey super has 9 out of 10 frames full of honey. They continue to cap the frames. I don't think I will be able to take any honey from this hive. I did find the queen on frame 8. I also found fresh eggs, larva and some capped brood. The hive temperament was good throughout the inspection. Buttoned everything up and put down some insecticide to deal with the ants.
Beta Hive
Honey super has a few hundred bees but there is not much food storage happening. Top hive body, I had the ten frames checkerboarded. Five frames have brood/food and five frames are foundation, slowly being worked by the bees. Today I shuffled the frames around so that all of the brood frames are together in the center of the hive body and the foundation frames are on the "outside" of the brood frames. While going through these frames I found the queen and fresh eggs! It was about that time I noticed a swirling mass of bees collecting on a lower branch of a cypress tree about 15 feet from the hive. I put the Beta hive back together and went over to check out the swarm. The swarm was about the size of a softball and getting bigger as the bees settled in. The swarm was coming from some trees about 75' away. So I am hoping it was not from the Beta hive. The swarm bees look a lot like the Beta hive bees. So, since I did see the queen and I found fresh eggs today, I will look for fresh eggs in 7 days to make sure the swarm was not from the Beta Hive.
Alpha Hive
Swarm Hive
Honey super has 9 out of 10 frames full of honey. They continue to cap the frames. I don't think I will be able to take any honey from this hive. I did find the queen on frame 8. I also found fresh eggs, larva and some capped brood. The hive temperament was good throughout the inspection. Buttoned everything up and put down some insecticide to deal with the ants.
Beta Hive
Honey super has a few hundred bees but there is not much food storage happening. Top hive body, I had the ten frames checkerboarded. Five frames have brood/food and five frames are foundation, slowly being worked by the bees. Today I shuffled the frames around so that all of the brood frames are together in the center of the hive body and the foundation frames are on the "outside" of the brood frames. While going through these frames I found the queen and fresh eggs! It was about that time I noticed a swirling mass of bees collecting on a lower branch of a cypress tree about 15 feet from the hive. I put the Beta hive back together and went over to check out the swarm. The swarm was about the size of a softball and getting bigger as the bees settled in. The swarm was coming from some trees about 75' away. So I am hoping it was not from the Beta hive. The swarm bees look a lot like the Beta hive bees. So, since I did see the queen and I found fresh eggs today, I will look for fresh eggs in 7 days to make sure the swarm was not from the Beta Hive.
Alpha Hive
Friday, September 17, 2010
17 September, 2010 - 10 am
Its 87º, clear skies and no breeze at the Back Yard Hive.
Back Yard Bees.
The top honey super has nine frames of honey. Three frames are 3/4 capped and the rest are being capped. There are many bees working in this super.
The middle honey super is very light and although there are many bees in the super they appear to be building/repairing comb.
Bottom honey super has a few bees in it and they are not really doing anything in this super.
Top hive body has a large number of bees throughout the frames. Frame 1 is a food frame and one side is covered in uncapped honey, on the other side the bees are drawing comb and storing pollen and nectar. Frame 2 has one side eggs/larva/capped brood and a border of honey and pollen, same with other side. Frame 3 has one whole side of fresh eggs! The other side is like frame 2. After finding that I put the hive back together. I didn't get any photos this time.
The hive temperament is good. I didn't use the smoke that much. These bees are very calm bees.
Back Yard Bees.
The top honey super has nine frames of honey. Three frames are 3/4 capped and the rest are being capped. There are many bees working in this super.
The middle honey super is very light and although there are many bees in the super they appear to be building/repairing comb.
Bottom honey super has a few bees in it and they are not really doing anything in this super.
Top hive body has a large number of bees throughout the frames. Frame 1 is a food frame and one side is covered in uncapped honey, on the other side the bees are drawing comb and storing pollen and nectar. Frame 2 has one side eggs/larva/capped brood and a border of honey and pollen, same with other side. Frame 3 has one whole side of fresh eggs! The other side is like frame 2. After finding that I put the hive back together. I didn't get any photos this time.
The hive temperament is good. I didn't use the smoke that much. These bees are very calm bees.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
12 September, 2010 - 9 am
Bee Yard
Alpha Hive
Harvested 4 shallow super frames. The rest were not completely capped.
From the top hive body I removed 5 frames to provide more brood space. These frames curing honey and some pollen.
Beta Hive
Did not inspect hive, too busy with Alpha hive.
2 pm
This afternoon I extracted the honey from the frames removed from the Alpha hive honey super and the Back Yard hive honey super. The honey harvest was 35 pounds. Not bad really.
The now empty frames are sitting in the back yard being cleaned up by the bees and bugs.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
11 September, 2011 - 2:30 pm
Its 92º, light winds, clear skies at the Back Yard bee hive.
I built a solar wax melter last week and finally started using it this weekend. Its a work in progress but it does a great job of melting a lot wax quickly.
Back Yard Bees
I took five capped honey super frames from the hive today. I replaced them with frames that have comb, so they should still be able to store food.
I removed all of the honey supers and starting looking through the top hive body for signs of the queen. On frame 8 I found fresh eggs on both sides, as well as larva and capped brood. So the queen is alive and doing very well. Frame 7 had 90% capped brood!!! I put back the frames and put the hive back together.
The hive temperament was very good. Only a few bees during the whole inspection bothered me.
4pm, Bee Yard in the country
The hive that I witnessed on the 10th of September was from the strongest of Gene's hives. I say that because today I looked through that hive and there were very few bees, maybe a third of what was there last week. The remaining bees were struggling with robber bees and ants. The other remaining hive swarmed as well. There hundreds and hundreds of robber bees going through both of those hives. My Dad and I moved the frames and hive bodies a couple of hundred feet away.
Swarm Hive
The honey super is slowly being capped, but I don't think I will be able to harvest the honey. I will see if I can leave it there for the bees. While looking through the top hive body I found fresh eggs and the queen on frame 3. I carefully put things back together.
I didn't have a chance to check on Alpha and Beta hives, I will do that tomorrow.
I built a solar wax melter last week and finally started using it this weekend. Its a work in progress but it does a great job of melting a lot wax quickly.
Back Yard Bees
I took five capped honey super frames from the hive today. I replaced them with frames that have comb, so they should still be able to store food.
I removed all of the honey supers and starting looking through the top hive body for signs of the queen. On frame 8 I found fresh eggs on both sides, as well as larva and capped brood. So the queen is alive and doing very well. Frame 7 had 90% capped brood!!! I put back the frames and put the hive back together.
The hive temperament was very good. Only a few bees during the whole inspection bothered me.
4pm, Bee Yard in the country
The hive that I witnessed on the 10th of September was from the strongest of Gene's hives. I say that because today I looked through that hive and there were very few bees, maybe a third of what was there last week. The remaining bees were struggling with robber bees and ants. The other remaining hive swarmed as well. There hundreds and hundreds of robber bees going through both of those hives. My Dad and I moved the frames and hive bodies a couple of hundred feet away.
Swarm Hive
The honey super is slowly being capped, but I don't think I will be able to harvest the honey. I will see if I can leave it there for the bees. While looking through the top hive body I found fresh eggs and the queen on frame 3. I carefully put things back together.
I didn't have a chance to check on Alpha and Beta hives, I will do that tomorrow.
Friday, September 10, 2010
10 September, 2010 - 10 am
It was 85º clear skies and breezy at the Bee Yard.
I was checking on the two recently relocated hives today. There were alot of ants attacking the hives so I put down some insecticide.
I witnessed a large swarm settling around the whole bee yard. The bees ended up on a tree about 50' away from the hives. I won't know which hive swarmed until tomorrow, but that swarm was huge.
I was checking on the two recently relocated hives today. There were alot of ants attacking the hives so I put down some insecticide.
I witnessed a large swarm settling around the whole bee yard. The bees ended up on a tree about 50' away from the hives. I won't know which hive swarmed until tomorrow, but that swarm was huge.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
7 September, 2010 - 10 am
Its was 85º, clear skies and lightly breezy at the Bee Yard.
Moved Gene's four hives on Sunday of this week, to the bee yard in the country.
Today I found that two hives absconded. The two remaining hives were busy defending their hives from ants.
I did discover that one of the hives that left, settled on to a branch of a pecan tree about 40' up.
I didn't have a ladder or any safe way to retrieve that swarm. I did put an empty hive body with frames of foundation just below the branch.
I started feeding the two remaining hives today. One hive has a quart jar of 1:1 sugar water and the other hive has a gallon feeder bucket.
I also put down insecticide around the two hives to deal with the ant problem.
Moved Gene's four hives on Sunday of this week, to the bee yard in the country.
Today I found that two hives absconded. The two remaining hives were busy defending their hives from ants.
I did discover that one of the hives that left, settled on to a branch of a pecan tree about 40' up.
I didn't have a ladder or any safe way to retrieve that swarm. I did put an empty hive body with frames of foundation just below the branch.
I started feeding the two remaining hives today. One hive has a quart jar of 1:1 sugar water and the other hive has a gallon feeder bucket.
I also put down insecticide around the two hives to deal with the ant problem.
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