Another $450 spent on fencing and labor. The honey I get this year, no matter how much, is going to be expensive. It's amazing how much money that can get poured into this hobby.
Tomorrow I will go and see the new fencing. The car battery happened but only for a few days and then we went back to the D cell battery pack to electrify the fence. According to the hired beekeeper, something came back and moved some of the fence a little. It sounded to me like the bear came back again but got a very good shock this time so no damage was incurred. Thankfully.
I will take time to mow around the fenced in area while there to make sure that no grass or weeds touch the fence so that it stays charged enough to keep out the bear.
The hired beekeeper, Jeff, also said the hives should be 6 feet apart. They are now 1 foot apart. This is for disease control. If one hive got mites, it wouldn't so quickly get passed on to the other hive.
There's always something new to learn!
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
7.27.14 -- Bear came back last week
Well, a few days after putting the hives back together, reenergizing the fence as well as putting it back in place, the bear came back!
This time, he probably got a shock though because he didn't get to the hive and just knocked over part of the fence. Thankfully.
I had to get more aggressive. I hired a local beekeeper to go over since I couldn't make the round trip drive again during a work week. His recommendation was to give up my current fence which is the mesh that is movable and used a lot as a temporary enclosure that can be moved easily.
He suggested a more permanent fence and use a car battery to electrify it so that the shock will be much greater and hopefully a great deterrent. That was Tuesday. This is Sunday. I have no phone calls telling me of additional bear sightings or damage so it's probably working.
I will take photos when I go there next Sunday.
This time, he probably got a shock though because he didn't get to the hive and just knocked over part of the fence. Thankfully.
I had to get more aggressive. I hired a local beekeeper to go over since I couldn't make the round trip drive again during a work week. His recommendation was to give up my current fence which is the mesh that is movable and used a lot as a temporary enclosure that can be moved easily.
He suggested a more permanent fence and use a car battery to electrify it so that the shock will be much greater and hopefully a great deterrent. That was Tuesday. This is Sunday. I have no phone calls telling me of additional bear sightings or damage so it's probably working.
I will take photos when I go there next Sunday.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Bear attack on beehives
A dreaded event took place sometime Friday night into Saturday morning....bears attacked my beehives. These were the hives at the end of the day. I prayed the bear wouldn't come back again during the night so that I might possibly be able to salvage something. I'd leave in the morning.l
I made a 3 hour round trip today to put them back together again, fix the fence and reelectrify it. The issue was that the fence had lost its charge in my absence. And I guess the bear were hungry. I had hired a beekeeper to check the hives and change the batteries last week but this happened before they came. Not sure if I mixed up the hives putting them back together (I had two different varieties). So who knows what those repercussions might be. I guess we'll see.
The bees were busy these last several weeks. Even with what we lost, the boxes were all heavy with honey. I had a tough time moving them. The super I had put on them were almost full so I added another super to each. We might still eek out a honey crop in spite of it. We'll see. If there are no further attacks.
The bear took 6 or so frames of honey...but it was honey the bees need to survive the winter. I'll most likely have to give them some of "mine" to help them out if they can't replace what was taken. I gave them blank frames with no comb so they'll need to work hard. I hope we continue to have cooperation with the weather.
I only found two of those frames no longer in the box or anywhere around.. Maybe I'll come across them licked clean somewhere in the woods during mushroom foraging.
I apologize for being so far away in this shot. The bees were furious and even with a full bee outfit on, I was stung many, many times in the three hours I worked on the site putting things back together. The photos were taken just before I left for my return trip so was without my suit now. I wanted no more stings. It'll probably take days for them to settle down. And me.
I made a 3 hour round trip today to put them back together again, fix the fence and reelectrify it. The issue was that the fence had lost its charge in my absence. And I guess the bear were hungry. I had hired a beekeeper to check the hives and change the batteries last week but this happened before they came. Not sure if I mixed up the hives putting them back together (I had two different varieties). So who knows what those repercussions might be. I guess we'll see.
The bees were busy these last several weeks. Even with what we lost, the boxes were all heavy with honey. I had a tough time moving them. The super I had put on them were almost full so I added another super to each. We might still eek out a honey crop in spite of it. We'll see. If there are no further attacks.
The bear took 6 or so frames of honey...but it was honey the bees need to survive the winter. I'll most likely have to give them some of "mine" to help them out if they can't replace what was taken. I gave them blank frames with no comb so they'll need to work hard. I hope we continue to have cooperation with the weather.
I only found two of those frames no longer in the box or anywhere around.. Maybe I'll come across them licked clean somewhere in the woods during mushroom foraging.
Monday, June 30, 2014
competition in the chanterelle field
Yesterday I took a walk at my favorite spot for chanterelles. I've had my eye on them for a few weeks and was told that they are slow growers. But I wanted to see how much they grew over a 4 day period when we also had some rain.
Previously, they were too small to pick and I have been waiting for them to grow before I pick them. But as I walked, I saw a few that were still small and decided to wait for my return before I decide whether or not to pick them.
Then I got to a patch that had been loaded with the mushrooms and I found nothing at first. Then, I saw that someone had cut them at the base. That means another good mushroomer has discovered my patch. Or perhaps I discovered his or hers.
In one place, I saw they had marked the spot by tying a ribbon to a branch. I took the ribbon! And I covered the tiny mushrooms there with leaves so they couldn't easily be spotted.
They missed a few. Any other time, if I didn't have a mushroom thief to deal with, I would have let these fairly small mushrooms grow another several days. But this time, I picked them.
It was either pick them small or don't get any at all.
I just fried them up and these will go into the freezer for some future day. It's hard though because they smell so good!
Previously, they were too small to pick and I have been waiting for them to grow before I pick them. But as I walked, I saw a few that were still small and decided to wait for my return before I decide whether or not to pick them.
Then I got to a patch that had been loaded with the mushrooms and I found nothing at first. Then, I saw that someone had cut them at the base. That means another good mushroomer has discovered my patch. Or perhaps I discovered his or hers.
In one place, I saw they had marked the spot by tying a ribbon to a branch. I took the ribbon! And I covered the tiny mushrooms there with leaves so they couldn't easily be spotted.
They missed a few. Any other time, if I didn't have a mushroom thief to deal with, I would have let these fairly small mushrooms grow another several days. But this time, I picked them.
It was either pick them small or don't get any at all.
I just fried them up and these will go into the freezer for some future day. It's hard though because they smell so good!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
June 28 bee check
I went to Vermont to check on the bees yesterday. Wow. Two hives is double the work and double the time. I need to factor in more time on my next visit. Here's what I found and did:
- I removed the feeders. They were empty and probably had been for a few weeks. The weather has been so nice though that I wasn't worried about feeding them really. But I had made sugar syrup for them and then forgot it in Maine. That made my decision that I was done feeding until the fall. I'll feed in the fall until freezing so that they won't have to use up their store of honey.
- I looked at almost every frame. I cut away some queen cells which makes me nervous. I sure hope I didn't miss any as I don't want them to swarm!
- The frames otherwise looked good. They were filled with brood, pollen and honey. I saw evidence of a queen with many eggs but I didn't see the queen. In some ways, I hate inspections because I'm afraid I might kill the queen unknowingly.
- Supers were added to each of the hives so that now I have two deeps and one super on each of them. I hope that, in a month, I can add another super to each hive. We'll see how it goes.
- The electric fence seemed to have plenty of power so I didn't change the batteries this trip. I'll probably want to go back in a few weeks anyway to check them as well as the bees.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
What a slacker I've been in keeping you up to date!
I did get my bees and got them into two hives with two deeps and a top hive feeder. I replenished the fence and then left them on their own a few weeks ago and went to Maine for the summer. I was lucky enough to rent my house for 6 weeks, giving me time to catch up with my second home.
I left the bees on their own but I will be going to check on them next week. At that time, I will add a super, which, if it is filled, as I hope it will be, will be my honey later this summer. If I'm real lucky, I'll end up with two supers filled with honey on each hive. That is my goal but there are way too many factors that could affect that goal. Things like:
- too much rain
- too cold
- poor flowering on plants
- swarms
- Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
- the queen dying or not producing enough
I had the hives checked, just visually, the other day. Bees were flying around so that's a good sign things are just humming along over there. Apparently the garden is also thriving. How could it not with all those pollinators!
However, I still need to cut trees. I do not get enough light to satisfy me. I see my shrubs and fruit trees becoming elongated which is them trying to reach for more sun. I will have more cut this fall.
What is there about light? I heard that it becomes more important the older you get. Not sure why but I feel like I crave sunshine at times.
I was speaking with a friend who is also a beekeeper. She was actually my inspiration in a way as I became interested while talking with her and how excited she would be about her bees. Not to mention the environmental factors involved and the need for bees in this world. I wanted to help in a small way. But she said that queen bees used to last longer than they do today so that she's found that she was constantly replacing queens. Our summer is so short that we need to go buy new queens if we lose one. It takes time for the bees to create a new queen bee trying to get a good honey crop in this area is impossible if you've lost your queen. She's giving up and will buy her honey from others. I think that's too bad but she did it for many years.
I left the bees on their own but I will be going to check on them next week. At that time, I will add a super, which, if it is filled, as I hope it will be, will be my honey later this summer. If I'm real lucky, I'll end up with two supers filled with honey on each hive. That is my goal but there are way too many factors that could affect that goal. Things like:
- too much rain
- too cold
- poor flowering on plants
- swarms
- Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
- the queen dying or not producing enough
I had the hives checked, just visually, the other day. Bees were flying around so that's a good sign things are just humming along over there. Apparently the garden is also thriving. How could it not with all those pollinators!
However, I still need to cut trees. I do not get enough light to satisfy me. I see my shrubs and fruit trees becoming elongated which is them trying to reach for more sun. I will have more cut this fall.
What is there about light? I heard that it becomes more important the older you get. Not sure why but I feel like I crave sunshine at times.
I was speaking with a friend who is also a beekeeper. She was actually my inspiration in a way as I became interested while talking with her and how excited she would be about her bees. Not to mention the environmental factors involved and the need for bees in this world. I wanted to help in a small way. But she said that queen bees used to last longer than they do today so that she's found that she was constantly replacing queens. Our summer is so short that we need to go buy new queens if we lose one. It takes time for the bees to create a new queen bee trying to get a good honey crop in this area is impossible if you've lost your queen. She's giving up and will buy her honey from others. I think that's too bad but she did it for many years.
Monday, May 12, 2014
More bees coming
This week, May 14th, I'll pick up more bees. I had ordered this Nuc back in January I believe...and paid for it which is always a plus. A Nuc is five frames of bees with brood and queen. I will then put them into their permanent home in a hive right next to the active one.
I was just out watching the bees at the first hive and they were beginning to bring in light yellow and orange pollen in the little sacs on each side of their tiny bodies. Dandelions are in bloom so I expect the orangey pollen is from them. Daffodils and lots of lawn flowers that are beautiful before the first mowing I saw some bugle weed in bloom and lots of other flowers but don't know their names. The weather today is in the high 70's and we're in a warm spell right now so I should see a lot of activity in terms of bees and nature in general. I love spring.
I will get into the hive this week since I've had the current hive for almost three weeks. I'll see how they have filled the frames in their hive. Because this first hive was a "package of bees", they came with no frames or brood. And the queen had to be introduced to them. So it'll be interesting to see how they're doing in there. From the outside looking in, it looks like they're doing well. Stay tuned!
I keep thinking of winter
I've probably mentioned this before about my winter plan this year. But it bears repeating, if only to get it out of my system. I am determined to not lose my bees this coming winter. So I will make cedar shavings pillows! I have one bale of cedar shavings and I will be making pillows that will fit into a super (this is the box where you collect the honey in the summer). This year, we'll also put a few into use in the winter. The super will have a screen stapled to the bottom so no bees can get into the box. The shavings will catch any condensation that drips down onto the bees and freezes them during the winter months. I'm convinced that's what happened to my bees this past winter. So I will be making the cedar pillows this summer to be ready for them later.
I was just out watching the bees at the first hive and they were beginning to bring in light yellow and orange pollen in the little sacs on each side of their tiny bodies. Dandelions are in bloom so I expect the orangey pollen is from them. Daffodils and lots of lawn flowers that are beautiful before the first mowing I saw some bugle weed in bloom and lots of other flowers but don't know their names. The weather today is in the high 70's and we're in a warm spell right now so I should see a lot of activity in terms of bees and nature in general. I love spring.
I will get into the hive this week since I've had the current hive for almost three weeks. I'll see how they have filled the frames in their hive. Because this first hive was a "package of bees", they came with no frames or brood. And the queen had to be introduced to them. So it'll be interesting to see how they're doing in there. From the outside looking in, it looks like they're doing well. Stay tuned!
I keep thinking of winter
I've probably mentioned this before about my winter plan this year. But it bears repeating, if only to get it out of my system. I am determined to not lose my bees this coming winter. So I will make cedar shavings pillows! I have one bale of cedar shavings and I will be making pillows that will fit into a super (this is the box where you collect the honey in the summer). This year, we'll also put a few into use in the winter. The super will have a screen stapled to the bottom so no bees can get into the box. The shavings will catch any condensation that drips down onto the bees and freezes them during the winter months. I'm convinced that's what happened to my bees this past winter. So I will be making the cedar pillows this summer to be ready for them later.
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