Busy bees and getting ready for spring!
With the weather 76 degrees on Sunday, I knew it was time to do an in-depth inspection of my two surviving colonies, the first real inspection of 2011. When I opened the orange hive, I noticed what looked like a tower of bees over the frames in the top chamber. The bees, in their quest to go higher, had started building comb up to fill the space where the shallow super sets and where the bee candy was located. That was my cue to reverse the hive boxes to put the brood nest together and move some frames around to give the queen room to lay.
After putting both hives back together, I slid the orange hive over to where the yellow one sat. The returning foragers did a fine job of finding their way home. That's because the bees stood at the entrance and fanned their scent outward to their returning sisters. When I checked a little later, not one single bee was on the concrete blocks wondering where their home went. Overall it was a successful inspection, and I'll keep a check over the next month to watch for swarming indicators. Hopefully I'll be able to make a split before the ladies hit the road on their own!
Bee safe!
I didn't know nurse bees can be shook off of brood frames. I've always left them on.
ReplyDeleteBtw, that's a beautiful brood pattern. You have a good queen there.
Hemlock:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit. Its my understanding that if you're going to move brood from one hive to another to build it up, especially moving new brood frames to a queenright hive, you need to shake the bees off -- otherwise you'll end up with a battle royale inside the hive. The weak hive you're trying to build up will see the strange bees (nurse bees) as invaders and you'll end up losing bees while they fight to the death and defeating your purpose. If you already have nurse bees, and you add brood frames, they will tend those frames like all the others. Its sort of like moving brood frames to a queenless hive to keep a laying worker from forming. Older beek tell me the nurse bees will take to all the brood frames and accept the new bees when they hatch. It worked perfectly with brood frames I bought from an apiary in Chapel Hill. I brought the brood here (no bees, just brood) -- put them in the weak hive, and days later, I had bees everywhere.
You're right, she's a great queen. I think this hive is going to do really well this year. I'm sure the honey will flow from this hive for sure.
Thanks again for stopping by, and its always good hearing from you!
Your bottom board looks interesting there - I can just see a peek of it in your last picture. Looks like a nice plastic screened bottom that's the full length of the board on the inside. What is that and where did you get it?
ReplyDeleteChuck: I got the screened bottom board you see from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. Its called the "Ultimate Bottom Board" and its made from UV treated plastic. When I got it, I was a little disappointed because of the feet. But I've quickly learned to like it. I think I like it better than the plastic screened bottom board from Dadant. I had to return one to Dadant because it bowed and the bees were using the back as a second entrance. I am including a link to the bottom board for you so you can check it out for yourself.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link: http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Ultimate-Bottom-Board/productinfo/314/
I am envious of your 76 degrees! thanks for posting your findings on hive inspection - I am learning so much from your photos as well.
ReplyDeleteHemlock:
ReplyDeleteMy friend, you taught me something! I went to Richard Underhill (The Peace Bee Farmer) and asked him to look over this post about my first inspection for the year.
First, his advice was to allow the package of bees coming from Dadant to draw their own frames to cut down on the possibility of AFB. He said once the've drawn out one deep, then I can use frames from the yellow hive to supplement the hive.
Here's where you come in. Just above, I told you where another beek told me to shake the bees off the brood frames when transfering them to avoid in-fighting -- Richard says that's not right. Here's what he said in his email to me; "One other thing, nurse bees generally don't fight. You can usually move a frame of brood into another hive with nurse bees on it. If you are moving a frame with a queen cell on it, for example making an easy split, make sure that you don't shake the frame. In this case, brush the bees off instead to prevent damaging the queen."
So thanks Hemlock! You've helped me wade through another fallacy and helped me learn something new! I appreciate it! And thanks to Richard Underhill too for setting the record straight.
-Mark
My fellow members of the Piedmont Beekeepers Association are the ones who told me to leave the bees on when I was supplementing a weak colony last year. The also said the field bees return to their original colony while the house bees stay put. Though, from what you say i guess both ways can work.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in 2011, especially that new package. Healthy bees & more honey to you.