finally...bees

I've been slacking off on this blog, getting through a tough winter and then getting ready for spring..aren't we all doing the same in this part of the world?

I ordered yet another Nuc which arrived earlier this week.  Today I will go to the hive, and check things out.  I will:

• add sugar syrup that has been treated with medicine for nosema to a top hive feeder
• look at the honeyed frames to see if the bees have cleaned them off yet and will add other frames as needed. I have lots of frames still for them to clean off from last year.
• check the lower deep to see if there's a queen or if I see eggs
• make sure there's plenty of room for the queen to lay her eggs.

That should be enough for now.  Rain is expected tomorrow with cooler temperature so I want them to have plenty of honey and syrup for them for a few days where they'll be inside the hive.  Then the weather is supposed to warm up and be nice for several days.

thinking bees in a snow storm

As this storm winds down, I can't help but think of the bees to come in a few months. 

I removed Hive 3 and instead of finding an empty hive, I found the hive full of dead bees.  They were mostly at the bottom, but I also had clusters of dead bees on the frames.

I put a note out to the Brattleboro Beekeepers group on Facebook with these photos and was told that it's probably Varroa mites that killed them.  I didn't do anything about Varroa last year, thinking they are treated before arriving and last year was  my first year with these bees.  However, I was wrong.

I also signed up for the Vermont Beekeepers Association who offer free courses to members.  Other courses cost money and I seem to spend enough on buying the bees (necessary) and equipment (necessary) and haven't attended courses lately.  So I will attend the VBA courses this year. They appear to be hands-on too so I hope to gain more knowledge and avoid the pitfalls I've experienced.

Dead bees everywhere in the hive, even clustered on the frame.

Here's what I found throughout the hive.  At least there will be some honey to feed the new bees when they arrive.  I put the frames that had any honey from this one hive into the freezer until then.  Freezing them should also kill any mites that might have been on the frames...if they survived the winter.

I have two more hives to clean up once this snow melts.  One will be left in the yard to house the new bees to come.  The other will go down into the basement until needed...praying it is needed at some point.

I noticed that the mesclun started in the greenhouse has sprouted.  I can't wait to eat fresh greens again.  What you get at the grocery store sure isn't the same as fresh from the garden.  Once this snow melts, I plan to put a row cover out in the garden and plant other greens.  I left the cover on for the entire season last year and it worked beautifully to keep things from disappearing overnight by the night visitors.

February 28 - 50 degrees and preparing for spring

I'm beginning to putter around the yard.  Once the snow melts, how awful things look until a bit later in the spring.

Two blueberry bushes were pruned yesterday.
Two weeks ago, the peach and pear trees were pruned.
Apple tree was also looked at but it didn't need much pruning

Next task will be to burn all the debris I'm collecting in little piles around the yard.

Other chores this week include:

Cleaning the greenhouse to get it ready
Planted Mesclun in a hanging pot in the greenhouse

Arugula already planted - this was planted in a pot in the fall and 3 months later, it's only about an inch high.  There's just not enough light in the middle of the winter.  It's beginning to grow more now that the days are longer.

The bees will be back in town

I realized that it's only a few months before my bees will arrive.  I've ordered one Nuc.  I will see what I can (or can't) do with the one.

1)  Changes this year include managing varroa mites.  I will use the method of using drone frames in the hive where the mites like to attach themselves.  Then bring in the filled frame, freeze it for a few days, then put it back into the hive and let the bees clean it out and start filling it again.  I've read that this is an effective way to minimize the  mite population.

2) I will take little to no honey this year.  It will be left to the bees.

3) Purchase a screened bottom board and add a mite counting sheet (or whatever it's called) to monitor how large a population is in the hive.

I'm hoping that these changes will make a difference in being able to keep a hive for more than one season.

Three hives appear to be empty

I didn't open them up except for the super that holds the cedar pillow.  But I heard no buzzing and no bees came out as I opened up the mouse guard to clean out the entryway, which wasn't blocked after all.

I hope I'm wrong but I think my bees are gone.  I am heartbroken.  I don't know what else I could have done to keep them warm, fed and alive. 

I just seems like I'd have seen some action today since is close to 55 degrees today and sunny.  I'm recharging the fence battery but think it's probably on for nothing.

The only bit of hope I have is that two days ago, I saw one bee come out and go back into one of the hives so is it possible they're just not coming out?  And if they are in there, how come they're not more protective?

I don't know what to do so I will do nothing for now but within a month or so, I need to  make a decision about whether or not to continue with this hobby if I can't keep bees alive over a winter.  Darn!!

getting ready to insulate

Today's chore was to move the hive on the left to the right about a foot.  Last week, I move the hive on the right over to the left.  I want them close together when the cold weather hits. Tomorrow, I will recharge the fence to ensure it's fully charged.  Last year, this was the time the bear came through a few times looking for a meal which he didn't get from my hives, but he sure caused a lot of damage around the yard.  I must have posted that debacle in my blog last year.  Check it around the last week or so of October.

In about a week, I think the weather is turning colder so I think I will add the cedar pillow in supers on the hives.  These will catch any condensation.  I also added popsicle sticks on the 4 corners of the two flat tops to give moisture a chance to escape.  The peaked hive top has venting built in to the top. 

My plan is to use the building paper to wrap them in.  I often put a piece of plywood over the top to give some added protection from the elements.  I also have some bubble pack material that I used to insulate inside the greenhouse in years past.  But I don't know if it's an ok practice.  I will need to find out before I do that.  

I think by mid-November, these should be all insulated.  I have used bales of hay in other years but thought about that insulation so I think ti may be just fine but again, I will double check with some experts in the area.

I will keep the fence charged until I'm pretty sure the bears have settled in for the winter.  Someplace other than here hopefully.

Meanwhile I'll continue to enjoy these beautiful, warm October days.  

Hive check 10/2/17

I got through my list over my lunch hour....no stings!  Yeah!

Hive 1 - I removed 3 frames to extract and then consolidated the rest into one super which I will leave on the hive until they either empty it or fill it up.  I expect them to empty it but the upper deep seems to be full too so there should be enough food to last them through the winter.

Hive 2 - I did nothing with them today. I added more fumicilian to syrup and added that yesterday.

Hive 3 - I removed the jar of sugar syrup which they hadn't finished and moved that to a tree stump well away from the hive.  Then I added new syrup to a top hive feeder.  I added a 3 frames to the upper deep to fill in where the jar was.  Then I moved this hive about a foot closer to Hive 1.

I will go into hives again on Friday or another lunch to take a good look at the deeps in Hive 2 and make sure they are looking ok, do a little of comb cleanout too.

Less pollen coming in

As I sat last night with my binoculars, looking at my hives, for the first time, I saw very little pollen going in.

For the past few weeks, my yard has smelled like sour milk by the end of the day.  After much research, I learned that this is a smell that is from goldenrod pollen!  I have a lot of goldenrod around and in those few weeks, bees would come in with their pollen sacs full of golden pollen.

Last night, I saw practically no bees with golden pollen.  I also didn't smell that smell.

 I guess the summer is truly over, even though there has been no frost...and it's been gorgeous!  I have some amount of late blooming flowers they can pollinate and probably some asters nearby.

Stuff to do:

1) Begin moving hives together, a foot at a time (or less) until they are close enough to help insulate each other.
2) Continue feeding Hive 2 with fumicillin
3) Add varroa strips to Hive 2
4) Feed Hivc #3
5) Remove any full supers off from Hive 1 and then consolidate into one super.