New beekeeping with AZDuffman

May 8th, 2015 at 2:43:15 AM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Ayecarumba

Actually, I am impressed by the clever way they manipulate the bee's natural behaviour to ensure that you get what you ordered. It is amazing that this knowlege has been passed down for a very long time. I wonder who was the first to actually attempt to put the bees in a manmade container. It must have hurt.


Quote: FrGamble
Probably a monk somewhere, but I'm just guessing.


The Padre is very close! Obviously not the first, not would we ever be able I think to credit "first" but a clergyman designed the box I am using today.

The design is one of those rare things that really can't be improved on. There is a thing called "top-bar" that is more attractive but does not work as well. But this confounds as all the measurements are so what they need to be there is little room for design change. They added "foundation" to frames. Maybe a small nip and tuck. But the rest is like turn signal control on a car, once figured out there is little that can be improved.
The President is a fink.
May 8th, 2015 at 11:26:58 AM permalink
Ayecarumba
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 89
Posts: 1744
Last night's episode of the CBS whodunnit, "Elementary" was centered on bee's and Colony Collapse Disorder.

Apparently, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes was an avid apiarist, and is described to have pursued and written about this interest in his retirement.
May 8th, 2015 at 12:07:44 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Ayecarumba
Last night's episode of the CBS whodunnit, "Elementary" was centered on bee's and Colony Collapse Disorder.

Apparently, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes was an avid apiarist, and is described to have pursued and written about this interest in his retirement.


You want to see diverse backgrounds, go to a new beekeeper class. All kinds of backgrounds.
The President is a fink.
May 8th, 2015 at 2:46:11 PM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Quote: AZDuffman
You want to see diverse backgrounds, go to a new beekeeper class. All kinds of backgrounds.
Same thing with new didgeridoo players. Brave man who first ate an oyster? Brave man who first thought of keeping a bee hive. People didn't try to go against nature all that much. In the Middle Ages, France had people who raised ducks, nothing else.
May 8th, 2015 at 3:03:13 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18632
Quote: Fleastiff
Same thing with new didgeridoo players. Brave man who first ate an oyster? Brave man who first thought of keeping a bee hive. People didn't try to go against nature all that much. In the Middle Ages, France had people who raised ducks, nothing else.


I love oysters in stew or otherwise. I do worry sometimes about being the one who gets some bad ones.

Bees don't bother me. Once I figured out I didn't have an extreme allergy to them like you hear about.

What's the word on Africanized bees lately? Are they a problem in your area?
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
May 8th, 2015 at 3:14:16 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: rxwine


What's the word on Africanized bees lately? Are they a problem in your area?


They cannot survive in more temperate areas, they have interbred with the Euros in areas where they can survive. I think beekeepers have adapted. Does make me wonder what would happen if a northern keeper took hives south to rent for pollination.
The President is a fink.
May 8th, 2015 at 3:37:46 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227


Area of killer bees in NA.
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
May 8th, 2015 at 4:19:44 PM permalink
odiousgambit
Member since: Oct 28, 2012
Threads: 154
Posts: 5055
I've heard that beekeepers have a role with the killer bees ... got a bad queen like that, you replace the queen. Of course there are always the hicks who don't keep up I guess.
I'm Still Standing, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah [it's an old guy chant for me]
May 12th, 2015 at 6:09:09 PM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Quote: AZDuffman
The past few years I have been on a skill-learning binge. Even though I am not totally unable to do things myself, at least to to the extent I see around me, I have this weird need to learn how to do "hard" skills. One of which I decided was to keep bees! I kind of looked at doing it two years ago when I had a job where they had not near enough work for us and had a "feel free to look at stuff online" policy. Until I did and they saw just how many hits I had. They then said to bring a book or something. Then they laid us all off, But I digress.


I hate the buggers and make do distinctions between those bumble bees which apparently can't fly, honey bees, wasps, hornets or anything else.

However, as this is the digital age I suggest you look at some of the electronic hive monitors that check the weight of the honey against the day's temperature and occupancy register.

I'm still not going near the silly things.
May 15th, 2015 at 12:32:13 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
TWO WEEK UPDATE

So we are now more or less two weeks in. While I will still "hive watch" it is now more for recreation than seeing what on earth is going on during a particular weather event or time of day. I wake up before them and go to bed after them, so at either time there is little in-and-out. Mid-day it has lots to do with the temperature. Here in W-PA we just had a span where many people went from A/C to furnace in a 36 hour span. I had planned to check on wed, but the aforesaid cold could have killed the little ladies. Yesterday I had to work at the courthouse, so today was the day.

I was quite a bit less anxious today since I opened the hive once before. A big thing is "time and motion" as they say in industry. Last time I forgot this or that, this time I had it more down. Good news I found the queen!
Lets say the $10 to mark her was well spent. She was wondering around, hopefully laying eggs like she is supposed to do.

They were over several of the frames, whereas last time it was just 1-2. There was some drawn out comb, capped in white, which indicates nectar storage. Or the sugar-water of which I have now added 12 pounds. 8 had been consumed. The buggers have used several times their own weight by now.

It looks as though some egg-laying is happening. Nothing capped, but some of the cells look brownish, so I assume the attendant bees will cap and feed them as time goes on.

Meanwhile I am hoping that we get some better nectar-flow up here, which we should as we are hitting bloom season.

One other observation is that the smoke makes them really start buzzing. I mean quiet to noisy as if flipping a switch, and it really drives them into the hive.

Probably will wait two weeks to check next time. Not sure how much I want to feed as it requires opening the hive, but they are eating it so they must need it. I will let you all know.
The President is a fink.