New beekeeping with AZDuffman

Quote: Ayecarumba

Is this technically correct? Is "Honey Bee" a species, or are there other species of bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, etc. that produce honey?

Not the expert but...

Not much of what you listed makes honey of any kind. Hornets and yellow jackets are wasps, not bees. While they eat and are attracted to the nectar in flowers and the sweets of fruits or abandoned sodas, they eat it to power themselves only. Wasps are predatory and prey on other insects. Once caught, the prey insect is chewed into a liquid and that's what they use to feed their young. No honey. In these hives, only the queen is meant to survive. Come winter she bugs out and hibernates in logs or whatnot. Everyone else dies.

Bumblebees are sort of the same. They do make "honey", but it's not stored and processed for any length of time or quantity, so it's not typical honey. It's mostly just a sweet liquid. They also all die except for the queen, so there's no reason to have mass stores of food.

Honey bees don't die in the winter. The just stay in the hive, vibrating to create heat and save the queen. With so many bees and so much movement, they need stores of food to last them the cold months. Hence, wads of honey.

My entomology isn't the greatest as it was never my focus in school or elsewhere, but I imagine any bee which attempts to save the hive over the entire winter would be considered a "honey bee". They'd likely share a genus, but probably span a number of species / subspecies.

It's odd thinking about it. I can't recall the last time I saw a wild bee. Plenty of bald faced hornets, a few yellow jackets, I see some mud daubers down at the crick every now and again. But I haven't seen a honey bee or bumble bee or carpenter bee in forever, outside of hikes near beekeeper's boxes.

Quote: Face

It's odd thinking about it. I can't recall the last time I saw a wild bee. Plenty of bald faced hornets, a few yellow jackets, I see some mud daubers down at the crick every now and again. But I haven't seen a honey bee or bumble bee or carpenter bee in forever, outside of hikes near beekeeper's boxes.

I think your zone is a little rough on them, in class someone mentioned that some NY beekeepers bug the hives out to the Carolinas for the winter.

bees or wasps... no difference: each NYcity precinct lists their emergency phone numbers under bees because that is what the public and most cops will call it in as. so if a colony takes up residence in a NYcity traffic light the cops have numbers for several "bee" keepers and those who respond will settle the argument about bee or wasp or whatever. Yes, the bee keepers get to keep the bees if they want them. Plus they get paid for the removal. Heck, even Manhattan Island has a game warden, you know and it ain't no sinecure.

Hornets are armored wasps, honey bees have no chance and that is why if a hornet finds the honey bees it is a fight to the finish for if the hornet escapes and gets to do its waggle dance indicating angle from the sun and distance, all the hornets will arrive for a feast. Honey bees over exert them selves to raise the temperature to what kills the hornet which is just a bit short of what will also kill the honey bees, but the honeybees will die by the dozens to kill the first hornet that finds them because other wise they will die by the hundreds.

to me they all bees that bite and sting and I don't want to get too close to figure out anything about them. sort of like the city slicker crossing a field who asks the farmer "Is that bull safe?" and gets a reply of "darn sight safer than you".

a Professor in Hobart, Tasmania is the expert on human bee/wasp/ant interaction by kairomones. even Jack Jumper ants that hunt by sight often ignore dozens of passersby but will attack someone readily due to some odor attractant.

Nowadays a little girl selling honey sweetened lemonade would get a swat team visitation demanding her business license and handicapped bathrooms.

Norway is creating a "bee highway" to protect pollinators.

100 DAY UPDATE

It has been almost 100 days now, time for an update.

I did the first check in about a month this afternoon. This was the 4th or 5th time I have opened the hive. First thing I noticed was how much more comfortable I was "working" the hive. First time I was just dumping the bees in the hive. Next time was just to look for the queen release. They were easy, except at the install there were bees flying all over the yard and I was in a rush to beat some rain. The one-month inspection was harder, that was the first time you really work things. Open it up, bees flying all over. Next times harder because they glue things together. You forget things, you forget where you put things. And there is just the natural instinct to want to get it done fast.

But by now I have a little of a system. Getting better at making smoke. I opened it with more confidence. I have a better system to put tools down so I do not forget them. Not as afraid of getting the "dropsies" with the frames.

There are 10 frames per box. Bottom is more for brood, top for honey. I get the feeling I installed the second "deep" too early. I still have almost half the frames with no comb built. The top deep has 3 frames with real nice honey storage. Though the cells look small, this stuff is heavy. The bottom deep is weird. 3 frames with loads of activity, a few untouched, and a few where brood has hatched and are now empty. On the good side I can see this, on the bad I wish I had more of an idea if I am doing good or not. I have no mentor and am going by memory from class and what I learn online. But I figure lots of great men figured things out and I will, too. "The Bee Whisperer" said that your first season is just getting comfortable "having" bees, so by that I am good.

Of concern is I saw what looks like 2 queen cells. They were not near each other. I could not find the queen. All else looks healthy, though. There is brood so time will just tell.

People keep telling me they will buy honey when I get it. I love reactions when I drop that I have a hive. The usual reaction is "really?"

My comfort level is I should be able to take some more pics next time. I have to use a camera as cannot do it with a phone. Stay tuned.

Quote: rxwine

I have some flowering plants outside my front door. Have yet to see any bees this year. Saw them last year. Maybe it's still too early.

Also, updating to say as of yesterday (or the day before) I finally saw A bee outside on the flowers.

When does the 'season' end? With global warming, does that mean the bees will be out longer, or are they tied to the length of the day?

Speaking of seasons, does the moon have any influence on the activity in the hive? I know that it has an effect on mammals, birds and reptiles, but insects?

bees do a wobble dance to direct other bees to a fabulous source of food, the dance shows distance and degrees off the sun.

some insects navigate according to the moon, nocturnal ones, I assume.

all life evolved with the time and the tides, distribution of uv light is the bees's "day" and well as "summer" and "winter". Perhaps we are all lunatics if the bees also have circadian rythms.

Quote: AZDuffman

100 DAY UPDATE

getting comfortable "having" bees, so by that I am good.

Of concern is I saw what looks like 2 queen cells.

Yes, you have bees, they are keeping you...

If verified two queen cells they may be getting ready to swarm. The queen will leave with some of bees for a new location and the two that hatch will fight to the death, the winner becoming the new resident queen. But with the empty space you described I doubt this is the case.

Quote: chickenman

Quote: AZDuffman

100 DAY UPDATE

getting comfortable "having" bees, so by that I am good.

Of concern is I saw what looks like 2 queen cells.

Yes, you have bees, they are keeping you...

If verified two queen cells they may be getting ready to swarm. The queen will leave with some of bees for a new location and the two that hatch will fight to the death, the winner becoming the new resident queen. But with the empty space you described I doubt this is the case.

Not a swarm coming. Hive still has plenty of room. Also the cells are in the middle of the frame. If a swarm is coming they are at the bottom.