To BEE or not to BEE (Honeybees)!

[txav8r]

Ok, another adventure by txav8r! Tonight, we pick up two hives of bees! Yep, you read that right, HONEYBEES! We have been talking to those that keep them and reading/researching for the last month and a half. Today is the day! I figured that there were some here that may be beekeepers and offer a NOOB some pointers.

So what we have done, is to clear and mow our only spot that is suitable IMO. We have wooded acreage and I know they need at least morning sun to wake them and get them working. So we have an area the aerobic septic sprinklers have killed off the trees a little and caused grass and weeds to grow. I wanted to leave the flower and seed heads but figured I would have to cut and disturb the bees sooner or later, so I cut it. I adjusted the sprinkler heads to avoid the hives completely, but to water right up to either side of them. We installed a birdbath with rocks in it within twenty feet. I went overboard on the hive stand and ground under it (some would say typical of me). I dug out the existing heavily mulched forest floor and leveled it, then added about 3 inches of decomposed granite and leveled that. For a stand, we were going simple and then I just had to make it better. So I ditched the pallets and cinderblocks, and opted for building a better stand that would last and be more manageable. So I built a stand that would support up to 4 hives but we only have two coming for now. I had read about ants getting into the hives and causing them to abscond, so I changed my plans again. I added 12" threaded on both ends, galvanized steel pipe, and threaded a flange on both ends. Those are my legs and I made up 6 of them. I fashioned a rough cedar 2x6 frame for the support and attached the legs on each end and in the middle. The reason for the steel legs was so I could put the feet of the legs in small plastic buckets for ant control. I have a slightly larger bucket that slides on the pipe above the one on the ground, to allow it to act as a debris and rain cover, think umbrella. We filled the small buckets under the feet with oil, as ants can't cross a moat like that. I also drilled the frame and installed smaller diameter pipe with caps on both ends for frame hangers on the back of the support frame.

I read that bees come in a package through the mail with a queen in a separate cage included, or in a "Nuc" (nucleus) of 5 frames in a box, that are already working. When I found a supplier locally, they didn't sell the packages or nucs, they just sold a deep hive body with 10 frames already working, so you get a head start and higher success rate. It also comes the the hive inner and outer cover as well as a bottom board. We opted for two so we can compare the progress, activity, and problems we will face. They should pollenate our property (and everyone elses too!). And if we are successful, insert lucky here, we should get at least 60 pounds of honey per year after they are established this season. We may be able to take a few jars this year, but we are told not to push it and leave a super on top for food for them to overwinter.

Just thought I would share the latest adventure and ask for your thoughts and suggestions!

 

[Bruce]

@latitudeadjuster says that rum helps with the stings.

 

[Scottintexas]

did you get the hives yet? we want pictures of that, lets see some action shots of Chester sniffing the hives! how about the bee keeper suit or smoke machine?

 

[latitudeadjuster]

@latitudeadjuster says that rum helps with the stings.

Rum helps everything!!! Rum makes the world a better place!! LOL

 

[Bruce]

Rum helps everything!!! Rum makes the world a better place!! LOL

A mixture of honey, rum and lemon will make sore throats go away. So there is a great connection between honey and rum.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

I got lit up other day as Bruce knows.....then installing a package Saturday them angry hoes got me again....lol.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

Ok, another adventure by txav8r! Tonight, we pick up two hives of bees! Yep, you read that right, HONEYBEES! We have been talking to those that keep them and reading/researching for the last month and a half. Today is the day! I figured that there were some here that may be beekeepers and offer a NOOB some pointers.

So what we have done, is to clear and mow our only spot that is suitable IMO. We have wooded acreage and I know they need at least morning sun to wake them and get them working. So we have an area the aerobic septic sprinklers have killed off the trees a little and caused grass and weeds to grow. I wanted to leave the flower and seed heads but figured I would have to cut and disturb the bees sooner or later, so I cut it. I adjusted the sprinkler heads to avoid the hives completely, but to water right up to either side of them. We installed a birdbath with rocks in it within twenty feet. I went overboard on the hive stand and ground under it (some would say typical of me). I dug out the existing heavily mulched forest floor and leveled it, then added about 3 inches of decomposed granite and leveled that. For a stand, we were going simple and then I just had to make it better. So I ditched the pallets and cinderblocks, and opted for building a better stand that would last and be more manageable. So I built a stand that would support up to 4 hives but we only have two coming for now. I had read about ants getting into the hives and causing them to abscond, so I changed my plans again. I added 12" threaded on both ends, galvanized steel pipe, and threaded a flange on both ends. Those are my legs and I made up 6 of them. I fashioned a rough cedar 2x6 frame for the support and attached the legs on each end and in the middle. The reason for the steel legs was so I could put the feet of the legs in small plastic buckets for ant control. I have a slightly larger bucket that slides on the pipe above the one on the ground, to allow it to act as a debris and rain cover, think umbrella. We filled the small buckets under the feet with oil, as ants can't cross a moat like that. I also drilled the frame and installed smaller diameter pipe with caps on both ends for frame hangers on the back of the support frame.

I read that bees come in a package through the mail with a queen in a separate cage included, or in a "Nuc" (nucleus) of 5 frames in a box, that are already working. When I found a supplier locally, they didn't sell the packages or nucs, they just sold a deep hive body with 10 frames already working, so you get a head start and higher success rate. It also comes the the hive inner and outer cover as well as a bottom board. We opted for two so we can compare the progress, activity, and problems we will face. They should pollenate our property (and everyone elses too!). And if we are successful, insert lucky here, we should get at least 60 pounds of honey per year after they are established this season. We may be able to take a few jars this year, but we are told not to push it and leave a super on top for food for them to overwinter.

Just thought I would share the latest adventure and ask for your thoughts and suggestions!
View attachment 55171 View attachment 55172 View attachment 55173 View attachment 55174

One suggestions for the setup, and it looks great I must add.....make sure the fronts of the hive have a slight decline. You don't want water to build up inside on a heavy downpour....it could drown or suffocate the hive. I almost did this and saved in time. just a slight angle, if you don't have already.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

Also, buy your bees local if possible. Recently here in Virginia we have a few places supplying nucs split off from local bees. I like this because the bees are actually acquainted with the local climate. Not really an issue for you in Texas but I don't know that for sure. I suggest nucs, 10 frame deeps for noobs, like myself. You get an established hive. The pro on a package is you know you queen is alive where in a nuc, unless you know what to look for or have a keen eye to spot her you really don't know if she died, or flew off.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

My gurls.........

 

[BigN8]

My Dad has kept bees for quite a while now. I always laugh when I call him and he's all excited about how he captured a wild hive and brought it into his place! I can tell you this, from listening to my Dad, it can be frustrating. The bees are unpredictable. He loses hives every now. I think another problem is some kind of mite that gets in the hive. I'd be happy to pass along his email address or phone if you want to talk to him and ask some questions.

 

[txav8r]

As always, you guys are great! I knew there would be knowledge here, even bee knowledge!

I made my hive stand lean forward a half a bubble. That may be way more than I needed but I read plenty about drainage too. And I'm sure your dad has stories to tell @BigN8 , we have a class and install the hives today. So once we get settled I might hit you up for his info. My bees are locally raised, right here, so there Texas natives kinda. And it's not a package or a nuc, it is a 9 frame (holds 10), deep hive body, it was split and established right out of the bee pasture. I'll keep you posted. @Scottintexas , I'm not letting Chester anywhere close! Lol

 

[Julian]

Have a buddy here in NC that has bees, he's been fighting mites for years....PITA according to him...

 

[zipper]

@txav8r We kept bees for about 10 years and had two hives similar to @latitudeadjuster except I used a queen separator between the lower hive and the supers above. Got stung a few times, but I used smoke to settle them. We found them to be the best pollinators for every thing on our farm except our Blueberry crop, which we found that the wild bumbles were better. UVM used our BB field to do a wild bee study 4 years ago and found a bumble species they had not seen in VT for quite a while, they explained that due to our organic practices and no neonicotinoids around. Our domesticated hives eventually succumbed to a couple of cold winters and varroa mites. Our Blueberries will be flowering in a week or two, and the field will be abuzz.

I now have 3 neighbors who keep bees around me, from which we do benefit.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

@txav8r We kept bees for about 10 years and had two hives similar to @latitudeadjuster except I used a queen separator between the lower hive and the supers above. Got stung a few times, but I used smoke to settle them. We found them to be the best pollinators for every thing on our farm except our Blueberry crop, which we found that the wild bumbles were better. UVM used our BB field to do a wild bee study 4 years ago and found a bumble species they had not seen in VT for quite a while, they explained that due to our organic practices and no neonicotinoids around. Our domesticated hives eventually succumbed to a couple of cold winters and varroa mites. Our Blueberries will be flowering in a week or two, and the field will be abuzz.

I now have 3 neighbors who keep bees around me, from which we do benefit.

yes, I use a Queen Excluder on Packages I introduce to the hives not nucs (unless needed due to old queen not liking bottom hive box) . The queen may lay 2000 eggs per day, that will fill up a bottom deep hive in 7-8 days, then add a top 7-8 days more....the eggs take 21 days to mature into useful bees so I don't want the queen roaming up to the supers (honey boxes) to lay eggs.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

In my photo of my hives the large one to the right I lost thus winter. It was so strong and plentiful. The warm weather in a Cold Virginia climate will kill a hive quicker than 0 degree weather. At least when 0 degrees - 32 degrees jan - feb the bees stay dormant and huddled for warmth. A warm winter of 60 degrees like this winter kills them because they fly off for miles looking for pollen etc and nothing....they all return and are hungry and the hive eats their stores in no time. I didn't get pollen patties and sugar water to them in time. I just added a package to that hive last week.

The hive on the far left was my weakest, due to they swarmed early last year. They are booming already. I took a super from the far right that was already combed out and they filled and capped honey in less than three weeks.

 

[txav8r]

We made it home with all the equipment and the bees. I have two 10 frame deep hive bodies and good brood in both. Even capped honey already! Inspecting them at Texas Bee Supply was easy as an experienced beekeeper did it. Now at home, the hives were screened, but I had to smoke them and add the top feeders to both hives. I discovered bees outside the top hive feeder in the outer cover adding the sugar water to the feeders. Don't know if those ladies will find their way into the hive in a new place in the dark. It was an experience! Pics to follow...

 

[txav8r]

Only pics we have so far...

 

[txav8r]

No sun yet today and it is early. At 7:30am we watched them from the house with binoculars and they are already out buzzing around their hives. I was a little surprised because the supplier told us that they wouldn't get out until the sun was on the hive, possibly two days since today is overcast, windy, and going to storm much of the day. There was even a bee at our front door! The hives are at least 80-100' behind our house and it seemed very early for bees that don't have their orientation flight done. For those that don't keep bees, when a hive is moved, they don't leave the hive until they do this orientation flight. Even if you move a hive just a few feet from where it was, it can mess them up bad. They say you need to move it over 3 miles or not at all. I have read about ways to trick them by screening them in for 3 days to force them to orient when they come out. They were moved 60 miles so I am not worried about them really, but it seems strange to be told they won't be active until the first sunny day and to see bees climbing on the hive, others buzzing around the hive, and the one already around front!

You guys that keep bees, have you moved yours successfully before? Have you seen your bees out immediately without this smoke cloud of bees orienting? What has me worried is the loss of a few dozen last night when I had to remove the top to put the top feeders on. I had a clump of bees, maybe a 4 inch clump an inch thick, staying warm together, on the underside of the cover that I didn't notice when I put the top feeder on. Then when we came back with the sugar water to add to the top feeders, I saw them. The top feeder prevents them from getting back in. So we removed the top feeder quickly and I brushed the bees onto the inner cover, and replaced the top feeder. They kind of scattered when I did that, some landing on the inner cover, and others flying. You beekeepers know my concern, right? Because of the small group that were clumped together, I am worrying that the queen may have been at the center of that clump. Everything I have read says to resist getting in the hives repeatedly or daily, waiting at least a week between opening them. My thoughts are, wait until they have at least had a sunny day and for sure oriented, and during the day, when many are foraging, check again for the queen. I also have another possible issue. The inner cover sets down on top of the top hive body and the telescoping outer cover goes over it completely. When we put the top feeders on, we left the inner cover on the top of the deep hive body. I don't know if I should have removed the inner cover completely or put it on top of the top feeder. The top feeder is a double trough with a screen over the center between them. It prevents bees from getting into the trough past the screen...they can get to sugar water but they can't drown in it supposedly. But a top feeder like this prevents them from getting past the feeder itself. So last night, the bees trapped out and disoriented, probably didn't survive, because they would have had to go back down to the entrance to their hive. I can hope right?

 

[txav8r]

I wanted to say too, @latitudeadjuster , those are very nice hive stands! I see your frame hangers on each too. I was trying to cover too many bases I think. We don't have argentina ants in Texas and probably didn't need the moat style legs to prevent them. Some locals told me yesterday that fire ants won't bother the bees too much and that the bees could control the fire ants. But the sturdy steel pipe legs are good regardless and I can remove the containers around them if I choose to later...but that means removing the hives to get to the bottom of the stand. Anyway, just wanted to comment on your setup, looks really nice.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

No sun yet today and it is early. At 7:30am we watched them from the house with binoculars and they are already out buzzing around their hives. I was a little surprised because the supplier told us that they wouldn't get out until the sun was on the hive, possibly two days since today is overcast, windy, and going to storm much of the day. There was even a bee at our front door! The hives are at least 80-100' behind our house and it seemed very early for bees that don't have their orientation flight done. For those that don't keep bees, when a hive is moved, they don't leave the hive until they do this orientation flight. Even if you move a hive just a few feet from where it was, it can mess them up bad. They say you need to move it over 3 miles or not at all. I have read about ways to trick them by screening them in for 3 days to force them to orient when they come out. They were moved 60 miles so I am not worried about them really, but it seems strange to be told they won't be active until the first sunny day and to see bees climbing on the hive, others buzzing around the hive, and the one already around front!

You guys that keep bees, have you moved yours successfully before? Have you seen your bees out immediately without this smoke cloud of bees orienting? What has me worried is the loss of a few dozen last night when I had to remove the top to put the top feeders on. I had a clump of bees, maybe a 4 inch clump an inch thick, staying warm together, on the underside of the cover that I didn't notice when I put the top feeder on. Then when we came back with the sugar water to add to the top feeders, I saw them. The top feeder prevents them from getting back in. So we removed the top feeder quickly and I brushed the bees onto the inner cover, and replaced the top feeder. They kind of scattered when I did that, some landing on the inner cover, and others flying. You beekeepers know my concern, right? Because of the small group that were clumped together, I am worrying that the queen may have been at the center of that clump. Everything I have read says to resist getting in the hives repeatedly or daily, waiting at least a week between opening them. My thoughts are, wait until they have at least had a sunny day and for sure oriented, and during the day, when many are foraging, check again for the queen. I also have another possible issue. The inner cover sets down on top of the top hive body and the telescoping outer cover goes over it completely. When we put the top feeders on, we left the inner cover on the top of the deep hive body. I don't know if I should have removed the inner cover completely or put it on top of the top feeder. The top feeder is a double trough with a screen over the center between them. It prevents bees from getting into the trough past the screen...they can get to sugar water but they can't drown in it supposedly. But a top feeder like this prevents them from getting past the feeder itself. So last night, the bees trapped out and disoriented, probably didn't survive, because they would have had to go back down to the entrance to their hive. I can hope right?

You will lose bees, but generally they find their way in....that hive came with 10,000 bees so you are good. The clump is a good sign, they probably around the queen protecting here. See a clump, the queen is usually underneath. They hear you and cover her.

I have taken a package of bees, removed the queen and put only the queen cage in the hive body. I totally left the 3lbs of bees in the shipping crate. I then opened the crate and left it outside the hive body....they are instantly attracted and called by the queen. That entire package of bees went into the hive body on their own. ....queen bee is just that, the Queen.

Have no fear and enjoy the relaxation of watching them go about their busy day flying and looking for stores.