Today, I wanted to add the Triangle Board to Hive #1 because I want to extract one super this weekend. I think that is all the honey I will get this year. I had hoped that the second super would be filling up but it is not. In fact, Hive #1 doesn't seem to have that many bees in there....so I'm anxious to get the honey out while it's still there!
The Triangle Board is a board that you put in under the super that is filled with honey. Bees will go down into the deep hive at the endof the day, but they won't be able to figure out how to get back up into the super...so that makes it easy for us beekeepers to get the super off the next day without bees in that box.
While I was there, I looked in on Hive #2. I was very pleased to see signs of a queen and some brood in the lower deep. I've noticed more bees in that hive while watching them in the evening so was glad to see firsthand that they are doing ok.
We'll see what the next few months bring. Right now, I am thinking I may need to combine the hives over the winter based on the population I see today. But we'll see what happens.
I think that after I extract the honey from Hive 1, I will put it back on that hive. The second super that's on there doesn't have comb so the bees first need to make comb before they can fill it...I can help them out by putting the super back on that has the comb on it.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
Watching the bees July 16th
An evening ritual, weather permitting, in the summer, I like to take a glass of wine out near the beehives, sit in my adirondack chair and watch the beehives. I try to gauge its health by doing so...plus it's relaxing.
Last night, I saw the bees bringing in an off-white pollen and occasionally a bright orange pollen. I always wonder what flowers they are in to gather them. Then I looked around and realized I have a lot of Black Eyed Susans blooming, and all the creeping thyme, creeping everywhere, is in bloom still and they are an off-white right now.
Or they could have flown up to 5 miles away so who knows where they are gathering. I have an Agway down the street, and Walker Farm less than 5 miles away...great sources of pollen and nectar.
Both hives seemed to be doing well. They act like they both have queens. I'd just like to see more bees around Hive#2 but hopefully soon I will. I don't think there's been enough time for the frames I added to have hatched the bees. But I was pleased at the amount of activity regardless.
Last night, I saw the bees bringing in an off-white pollen and occasionally a bright orange pollen. I always wonder what flowers they are in to gather them. Then I looked around and realized I have a lot of Black Eyed Susans blooming, and all the creeping thyme, creeping everywhere, is in bloom still and they are an off-white right now.
Or they could have flown up to 5 miles away so who knows where they are gathering. I have an Agway down the street, and Walker Farm less than 5 miles away...great sources of pollen and nectar.
Both hives seemed to be doing well. They act like they both have queens. I'd just like to see more bees around Hive#2 but hopefully soon I will. I don't think there's been enough time for the frames I added to have hatched the bees. But I was pleased at the amount of activity regardless.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Frustration on July 1
Yesterday I went into the hive to take a few frames of brood from Hive 1 and add them to Hive 2. The reason for this was to have brook born in Hive 2 to strengthen the hive. They need the worker bees to help the queen thrive.
As you know, Hive 1 made it through the winter and started out very strong. In fact, I was worried that they might swarm because the hive was so full. I had been thinking of taking out some brood frames but didn't for a lot of reasons. Mainly because I hadn't done it before. So I waited...too long I fear.
When I opened Hive 1, I was surprised how easy it was because I didn't have swarms of bees all around me like the last time. I lifted off the super loaded with honey (I must extract that next week!), the mostly empty new super, then the top bottom deep, and began checking frames in the bottom deep...that's where most of the brood should be.
I looked at several frames that had very little on them. At the end, I found a few frames with some brood but not that many bees...some but not loaded....and put them aside for Hive 2.
I continued looking at frames and one frame, in particular, had wax built up in one corner of the frame, like a large bulge...they looked like drone cells though. I'm not sure. In the middle of it was what looked like a queen cell. And I left it there, for better or for worse.
To me, it looks like that hive swarmed but part of the colony stayed and maybe they are making themselves a queen. There also looked to be some larvae in the cells on a few frames. And there were clusters of bees in certain sections. So that told me I may still have a queen but I never saw her. Perhaps she's getting old. This would be her second year with me.
I probably shouldn't have taken out those two frames for Hive 2. It may weaken Hive 1 too much. But it's done and we'll just have to see what happens next. It's an interesting process, this beekeeping.
My strategy for the rest of the season is to let it go. If a queen dies, let them make a new one.
I will harvest my honey next week so I at least have that. If the hives are not thriving at the end of the season..September-ish, I will merge them into one hive to obtain a stronger hive that would help them make it through the winter. Perhaps I wasn't meant to have two hives.
As you know, Hive 1 made it through the winter and started out very strong. In fact, I was worried that they might swarm because the hive was so full. I had been thinking of taking out some brood frames but didn't for a lot of reasons. Mainly because I hadn't done it before. So I waited...too long I fear.
When I opened Hive 1, I was surprised how easy it was because I didn't have swarms of bees all around me like the last time. I lifted off the super loaded with honey (I must extract that next week!), the mostly empty new super, then the top bottom deep, and began checking frames in the bottom deep...that's where most of the brood should be.
I looked at several frames that had very little on them. At the end, I found a few frames with some brood but not that many bees...some but not loaded....and put them aside for Hive 2.
I continued looking at frames and one frame, in particular, had wax built up in one corner of the frame, like a large bulge...they looked like drone cells though. I'm not sure. In the middle of it was what looked like a queen cell. And I left it there, for better or for worse.
To me, it looks like that hive swarmed but part of the colony stayed and maybe they are making themselves a queen. There also looked to be some larvae in the cells on a few frames. And there were clusters of bees in certain sections. So that told me I may still have a queen but I never saw her. Perhaps she's getting old. This would be her second year with me.
I probably shouldn't have taken out those two frames for Hive 2. It may weaken Hive 1 too much. But it's done and we'll just have to see what happens next. It's an interesting process, this beekeeping.
My strategy for the rest of the season is to let it go. If a queen dies, let them make a new one.
I will harvest my honey next week so I at least have that. If the hives are not thriving at the end of the season..September-ish, I will merge them into one hive to obtain a stronger hive that would help them make it through the winter. Perhaps I wasn't meant to have two hives.
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