New beekeeping with AZDuffman

Quote: Ayecarumba

Are there not enough flowering plants around the hives to support them, or have the bees just not found them yet?

If you have room in the yard to add flowering plants, there should be some that are both easy to grow with lots of blooms native to the area -- which means you shouldn't have to worry about watering..

Of course, they can be at sides of yard, or front yard as well, if they can get required sun needed.

Heck, maybe look into native flowering weeds. Weeds grow best!

FEEDING



A look at how crazy they go for their supplemental feed. This time I just keep putting it out, though I do notice the last few weeks they have been taking about twice as long to finish as early September.

Thanks for the photo AZD!

This story about an africanized colony in a New Jersey guy's walls came up on my newsfeed:

30k Bees, 40 lbs. of honey

Quote: Ayecarumba

This story about an africanized colony in a New Jersey guy's walls came up on my newsfeed:

Just modify your walls and don't bother with outdoor hives.

(btw if you did actually modify your house wall as a bee hive, filmed it, put on youtube, you'd get 1 billion views and make it least $5 off it)

How many bees are needed for one queen? At some point they split the hive right?

Quote: Ayecarumba

How many bees are needed for one queen? At some point they split the hive right?

I think Euro Bees like 50-60,000 members. They split the hive usually in late spring when they have recovered from winter. They throttle their reproduction, for example there will be little laying now and most of the males will get booted from the hive. I think the left hive should make the winter and I will probably end up splitting it into the right hive, which I do not think makes it.

3Bee Corp. Internet of Things device for diagnosing bee hives.

All you really need is an old El Camino. (you know, if I didn't see any bees and found that I might call the Homeland Security --that looks like a space alien pod.)

UPDATE

I thought they had died from a bad season. I got last year's package over a month late, supplier said it was the worst season in about 30 years. Still took delivery. Nothing went right. Had to install the package fast due to rain.

So weak I stopped even looking in on them. Figuring just order another package this year, which I still may. Then the colony collapsed the other day. Meaning the stand I had them on collapsed, particle board fell apart. I waited a few days to even pick the box up to drag it inside to survey the damage.

It was real heavy, a good sign for honey. Then I hear a buzzing. Look in and a ball of bees! Maybe they will survive the winter. No way they seal it all up again, but it was half open for days so if it stays mild out I may be in luck and get to a second season and.......HONEY!

Stay tuned.