Thursday, July 23, 2009
Installed Fourth Queen
Here is a picture of my queen with whom I place my hope in this little hive. I pray that God wills this hive to thrive and prosper. Her attendants are all around her. I have lightley sprayed the cage with sugar water in case they are thirsty from their travels all the way from California. I will call her Queen Makeda.
You can see one end is white, this is the candy that the bees need to eat through to leave the cage and into the hive. The ideal is that by the time they have eat through the candy, the queen's pheromones have permeated the hive and the colony will accept her.
Waiting Bees
My poor beloved bees were waiting for me when I got back from the place I dumped them. They knew where home was and waited until I fixed it back into place. Little did they know I was trying to help them become a queen right hive.
Performed Method to Rid Hive of Laying Workers
Approximately 3:00p.m.
88 degrees and scattered thunderstorms.
Wind Chill: 88° Ceiling: 4200ft
Heat Index: 91° Visibility: 10mi
Dew Point: 68° Wind: 8mph
Humidity: 52% Direction: 180° (S)
Pressure: 29.85in Gusts: 0mph
Using the method outlined below, I carted the hive approximately 300 feet away. Because the site where I was going to dump the bees was close to the road that my neighbors travel, I informed them of the time I was doing this operation. That way they could keep themselves, pets, and children indoors.
The site was in the woods so I layed a sheet down so when the bees fell, their wings wouldn't get injured (I'm such a Mom). The bees were very persistent in wanting to get back onto the frames and I had to continuly brush them off. A couple of the bees burrowed into a cell and touched their little bee bottoms with my brush, which made them back out so I could brush them off.
My wheelbarrow was several yards away and after filling the extra empty hive body with frames, I pulled each frame out to ensure that no bees remained. Satisfied that the frames were completely denuded of bees, I took off back to the hive site. I could not believe how many of the bees were waiting for me.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Ridding Your Hive of the Laying Worker Phenomenon
(Excerpt from Beekeeping for Dummies)
How to know if you have laying workers
The following are key indicators:
You have no queen. Remember that every inspection starts with a check for a healthy, laying queen. If you have lost your queen, you must replace her.
You see lots and lots of drones. A normal hive never has more than a few hundred drone bees. If you notice a big jump in the drone population, you may have a problem.
You see cells with two or more eggs. This is the definitive test. A queen bee will place only one egg in a cell -- never more than one. Laying workers are not so particular; they will place two or more eggs in a single cell. If you see more than one egg in a cell, you can be certain that you have laying worker bees. Time to take action!
Getting rid of laying workers
You may think that introducing a young and productive queen will set things right. But it won't. The laying workers will not accept a queen once they have started laying eggs. If you attempt to introduce a queen, she will be swiftly killed. GUARANTEED.
1. Order a new marked queen from your bee supplier.
2. The day your queen arrives, put the entire "problem" hive (bees and all, minus the bottom board) in the wheelbarrow (or in the hand truck) and move it at least 100 yards away from its original location. You'll want those spare empty hive bodies and outer covers nearby.
The bottom board stays in its original location.
3. One by one, shake every last bee off each frame and onto the grass.
Not a single bee can remain on the frame -- that bee might be a laying worker. A bee brush helps get the stubborn ones off.
4. Put each empty frames (without bees) into the spare empty hive(s) you have standing by. These should be at least 15 to 20 feet away from the shaking point.
Make sure that no bees return to these empty frames while you are doing the procedure. Use the extract outer cover to ensure that they can't sneak back to their denuded frames.
5. When you have removed every bee from every frame, use the wheelbarrow or hand truck to return the old (now bee-less) frames to the original hive bodies.
Again, just make sure that no bees sneak back onto the frames.
6. Place the hive to its original location on the bottom board, and transfer all the denuded frames from their temporary housing. So now you have the original hive bodies back at their original location, and all of the originals frames (less bees) placed back into the hive.
Some of the bees will be there waiting for you. These are the older foraging bees (not the younger laying workers). Be carefull not to squash any bees as you slide the hive back onto the bottom board.
Most of these older foraging bees will find their way back to the hive. But the young nurse bees, the ones that have been laying eggs, have never ventured out of the hive before. They will be lost in the grass where you deposited them and will never find their way back to the hive.
Now you can safely introduce your new queen.
How to know if you have laying workers
The following are key indicators:
You have no queen. Remember that every inspection starts with a check for a healthy, laying queen. If you have lost your queen, you must replace her.
You see lots and lots of drones. A normal hive never has more than a few hundred drone bees. If you notice a big jump in the drone population, you may have a problem.
You see cells with two or more eggs. This is the definitive test. A queen bee will place only one egg in a cell -- never more than one. Laying workers are not so particular; they will place two or more eggs in a single cell. If you see more than one egg in a cell, you can be certain that you have laying worker bees. Time to take action!
Getting rid of laying workers
You may think that introducing a young and productive queen will set things right. But it won't. The laying workers will not accept a queen once they have started laying eggs. If you attempt to introduce a queen, she will be swiftly killed. GUARANTEED.
- Before you can introduce a new queen, you need to get rid of all the laying workers. But how? They look just like all the other workers! The solution is tedious and time-consuming but 100-percent effective when done properly. You need the following items:
- An empty deep hive body (no frames). The empty hive body will be used to temporarily hold the frames you remove from the problem hive. You will need two empty hive bodies if your problem hive consists of two deep hive bodies.
- An outer cover.
- A wheelbarrow or hand truck.
1. Order a new marked queen from your bee supplier.
2. The day your queen arrives, put the entire "problem" hive (bees and all, minus the bottom board) in the wheelbarrow (or in the hand truck) and move it at least 100 yards away from its original location. You'll want those spare empty hive bodies and outer covers nearby.
The bottom board stays in its original location.
3. One by one, shake every last bee off each frame and onto the grass.
Not a single bee can remain on the frame -- that bee might be a laying worker. A bee brush helps get the stubborn ones off.
4. Put each empty frames (without bees) into the spare empty hive(s) you have standing by. These should be at least 15 to 20 feet away from the shaking point.
Make sure that no bees return to these empty frames while you are doing the procedure. Use the extract outer cover to ensure that they can't sneak back to their denuded frames.
5. When you have removed every bee from every frame, use the wheelbarrow or hand truck to return the old (now bee-less) frames to the original hive bodies.
Again, just make sure that no bees sneak back onto the frames.
6. Place the hive to its original location on the bottom board, and transfer all the denuded frames from their temporary housing. So now you have the original hive bodies back at their original location, and all of the originals frames (less bees) placed back into the hive.
Some of the bees will be there waiting for you. These are the older foraging bees (not the younger laying workers). Be carefull not to squash any bees as you slide the hive back onto the bottom board.
Most of these older foraging bees will find their way back to the hive. But the young nurse bees, the ones that have been laying eggs, have never ventured out of the hive before. They will be lost in the grass where you deposited them and will never find their way back to the hive.
Now you can safely introduce your new queen.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Bess Beetle
This lovely male beetle was found on some rotted logs. When I bent down to photograph him he made noises at me. I wasn't sure what the sound was at first because it was so faint. I listened and it sort of sounded like several baby birds with their mouths open making that squealing noise begging for food.
Go to this link to hear the Bess Beetle
http://www.beetle-experience.com/abs-bess.htm
Also, you can conduct "tractor pull" experiments with Bess Beetles
http://www.drwhitey.com/Ecology/BessBugs/BessBugs.htm
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Girls on the Porch - Hive #4
It's 73 degrees and muggy. This is the hive I split and requeened 3 times. I installed the new queen Wed, June 24th, and will be inspecting the hive this coming Wed. I also put in two additional brood frames from two of my other hives to build up the colony.
How to Organically Get Rid of Ants From Your Bee Hive!
Using a concept from a children's book, my husband built me a table with legs that were pressure treated so they won't rot in the water. This is an ecologically-balanced approach to getting rid of the ant problem. The containers are filled with water and the ants can't swim. I looked closely last night and could not find one ant on the hive. If you look closely you can see salt sprinkled around the hive, which did not get rid of the ants.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Desperate Measures for Desperate Times
| 86°F Feels Like: 85°F | ||||
Received third queen today for Nuc. The company I buy the queens from know me by name and my address. My father and I inspected the Hives 1 through 3. During the inspection, we robbed a brood frame each from two hives. I thought I had brushed all the bees off the frames into their respective hives, however, when I got home I discovered there were a few on the brood frames. Oh yes, I had the open box in my back seat.
I moved the Nuc three yards to a spot where it would get more sun facing as it had before, South East. I hung the cage with the queen and attendants on one of the new brood frames and told the girls good night.
Attempting to Requeen a Hive With Possible Laying Worker(s)
After talking to another beekeeper in the area I think I just might have a laying worker. My second queen was doing fine up until a week ago. I've searched for her in two thorough inspections and she is gone. I had noticed about a week prior to installing the 2nd queen a cell with three eggs in it, which I thought was odd. My beekeeping friend asked me if I had noticed more than 1 egg in a cell, which I had, and she said it sounds like you have a laying worker(s). She had recently received a newsletter about that very issue. The laying worker and her followers may have killed the 1st AND 2nd queen.
If the third queen isn't accepted I will simply reunite the colony back to the parent colony. (Thank you to amethystdragon for that suggestion, brillant.)
If the third queen isn't accepted I will simply reunite the colony back to the parent colony. (Thank you to amethystdragon for that suggestion, brillant.)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Inspected Three Hives
Sunday; 14 June 2009
Hive #3 has my Cordovan bees and they have almost completely filled out the brood box with honey and brood. The honey super is being filled with lovely honey too. I must get another deep built, painted and filled with more foundation by the end of this week. I will be able to harvest honey from this hive this year.
Hive #1 is not as full. Poor bees. This is the one that survived two bear attacks last year. I located the queen and I will need to watch this hive closely. The brood was not a nice concentric circle. I will give her another month and make a decision whether to requeen at that point so they can make it through the winter. No honey from this hive this year.
Hive #3 is bustling as ever. Lots of honey and very strong. I did not have time to find the queen but it was obvious she was in there. The honey super is being filled out nicely. I should be able to harvest honey from this hive too.
Hive #3 has my Cordovan bees and they have almost completely filled out the brood box with honey and brood. The honey super is being filled with lovely honey too. I must get another deep built, painted and filled with more foundation by the end of this week. I will be able to harvest honey from this hive this year.
Hive #1 is not as full. Poor bees. This is the one that survived two bear attacks last year. I located the queen and I will need to watch this hive closely. The brood was not a nice concentric circle. I will give her another month and make a decision whether to requeen at that point so they can make it through the winter. No honey from this hive this year.
Hive #3 is bustling as ever. Lots of honey and very strong. I did not have time to find the queen but it was obvious she was in there. The honey super is being filled out nicely. I should be able to harvest honey from this hive too.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
My conclusion of what went wrong.
After much research and discussion with other beekeepers, I've finally come to the conclusion that I should have done one of two things after creating the Nuc:
1) culled all queen cells on the frames and then installed a new queen OR..
2) left the queen cells intact, let nature take it's course not installing a new queen but allowing the bees to create their own queen.
1) culled all queen cells on the frames and then installed a new queen OR..
2) left the queen cells intact, let nature take it's course not installing a new queen but allowing the bees to create their own queen.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Inspection of Hive 4
Approximately 4:30pm, Sunny, 80 degrees.
I found lots of larvae and the queen. She is very busy and productive. I have hope that this hive will make it. The bees aren't taking the sugar syrup so I will stop feeding them since the nectar flow is sufficient to meet their needs.
I plan to inspect the other hives this coming Wednesday since that is the next sunny day. I put a honey super on two of the hives and with luck I'll have honey this year.
I found lots of larvae and the queen. She is very busy and productive. I have hope that this hive will make it. The bees aren't taking the sugar syrup so I will stop feeding them since the nectar flow is sufficient to meet their needs.
I plan to inspect the other hives this coming Wednesday since that is the next sunny day. I put a honey super on two of the hives and with luck I'll have honey this year.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Piping Queen
After doing some research I found that the Bzzz Bzzz sound was the queen was doing what is called "piping". Mated queens may briefly pipe after being released in a hive. This is exactly what the queen did when she was released into the hive and apparently it is rare for beekeepers to hear this piping.
Piping describes a noise made by virgin and mated queen bees during certain times of the virgin queens development. Fully developed virgin queens communicate through vibratory signals: "quacking" from virgin queens in their queen cells and "tooting" from queens free in the colony, collectively known as piping. A virgin queen may frequently pipe before she emerges from her cell and for a brief time afterwards. Mated queens may briefly pipe after being released in a hive. The piping sound is variously described as a children's trumpet tooting and quacking. It is quite loud and can be clearly heard outside the hive. The piping sound is created by the flight motor without movement of the wings. The vibration energy is resonated by the thorax.
I downloaded this video so you too can hear a piping queen!
Piping describes a noise made by virgin and mated queen bees during certain times of the virgin queens development. Fully developed virgin queens communicate through vibratory signals: "quacking" from virgin queens in their queen cells and "tooting" from queens free in the colony, collectively known as piping. A virgin queen may frequently pipe before she emerges from her cell and for a brief time afterwards. Mated queens may briefly pipe after being released in a hive. The piping sound is variously described as a children's trumpet tooting and quacking. It is quite loud and can be clearly heard outside the hive. The piping sound is created by the flight motor without movement of the wings. The vibration energy is resonated by the thorax.
I downloaded this video so you too can hear a piping queen!
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Approximately 1:30pm; 82 degrees; Sunny
Six days after installing the new queen I inspected the hive to see if she was out of the cage. Opening the hive I did not smell the sweet smell as before when the bees did not accept the queen. I examined the cage and found the hole with candy plug had been eaten through and the queen and two attendants were still in the cage. I then opened the other end where the cork was plug in and the queen walked out onto my arm. Gently shaking her into the hive she disappeared. Pulling up each frame I heard a very unique sound of a two high pitched bzzzz bzzzz and then again bzzzz bzzzz and found the queen. The bees have accepted her and I saw her insert her abdomen into a cell, hopefully to begin laying eggs.
Six days after installing the new queen I inspected the hive to see if she was out of the cage. Opening the hive I did not smell the sweet smell as before when the bees did not accept the queen. I examined the cage and found the hole with candy plug had been eaten through and the queen and two attendants were still in the cage. I then opened the other end where the cork was plug in and the queen walked out onto my arm. Gently shaking her into the hive she disappeared. Pulling up each frame I heard a very unique sound of a two high pitched bzzzz bzzzz and then again bzzzz bzzzz and found the queen. The bees have accepted her and I saw her insert her abdomen into a cell, hopefully to begin laying eggs.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Hive #4
May 30th 2009 (Sat) 3:20pm
81 degrees; Sunny
Bees very active. This is the hive I installed the new queen two days ago, May 28th. I can't peek inside until a week has passed.
81 degrees; Sunny
Bees very active. This is the hive I installed the new queen two days ago, May 28th. I can't peek inside until a week has passed.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 28th 2009 - Installed 2nd Queen
75 degrees, balmy, thunderstorms
It has been raining for the past three days and thunder storms again throughout the day. Arggggh. I came home from work and found the Fedex package at the door. Thank goodness it wasn't pouring or I would have drowned bees. I tore open the box and found that the queen was alive and one of the attendants was dead.
Approximately, 4:30pm I checked the hive and found very little brood. Lots of honey but that's not going to keep the colony going. I pray that the colony will accept this queen. There were a lot of bees around the entrance and after I installed the queen and closed up the hive, they all went inside.
It has been raining for the past three days and thunder storms again throughout the day. Arggggh. I came home from work and found the Fedex package at the door. Thank goodness it wasn't pouring or I would have drowned bees. I tore open the box and found that the queen was alive and one of the attendants was dead.
Approximately, 4:30pm I checked the hive and found very little brood. Lots of honey but that's not going to keep the colony going. I pray that the colony will accept this queen. There were a lot of bees around the entrance and after I installed the queen and closed up the hive, they all went inside.
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