a very dry spring so far. Bees are making babies, gathering pollen and taking in feed. My first lot of lip balm samples is already gone......need to make more.
very cool, lots of north wind. lots of activity at hive.....i want to make a split. bees taking syrup and lots of pollen going in. i need to be patient and wait for Mother Nature.
weather is improving; dandelions, wild fruit trees and grape hyacinths are out. got some real nice pics of bees feeding on the hyacinths. made a walk away split on sunday:hope it takes. melting wax in little batches at dinner time....multi tasking! made some coconut oil/beeswax lip balm and it all sold in a couple hours. texture is a little drier and firmer than the almond oil balm but it lasts longer. I like it!!!
well, the girls swarmed on may26. i was outside to see them go.... they settled on a tree branch about 35' up. WAY too high for me to get them. they were there about 48 hours and then they disappeared on may28 when i was at work [paid labour].oh well, i learned some lessons and am satisfied that they will be a source of more swarms in the coming years......
on june 6, the gold hive produced a secondary swarm. my mom saw them on a young pine tree. as the treewas a memorial planting, i didn't want to cut it as the bees were all around the main trunk about 3 feet off the ground. fortunately the tree is still very flexible-a good shake dislodged most of the bees. i carried them to the empty pink hive and put them in. i saw the queen going up the ramp i made. my 2nd and 3rd shake just marched right up that plywood like little soldiers. AMAZING!!!! Mom took some photos. I'll post when i figure it out. this coming Saturday june 23 will be 4 weeks since hive originally swarmed. i will check for new brood from new queens; hopefully Mother Nature has provided.
Bees are still taking syrup. A little pollen is going in, land is very dry. saw a bumblebee taking syrup too. strange weather patterns. everything is so early this year.
Appearance of bee yard coming along; thank heavens I have a strong well.
Checked gold hive: new eggs, brood in all stages, little sealed brood. may be a supersedure coming up. this hive threw a huge swarm and then 12 days later a secondary swarm. Checked blue hive (die out in winter): made a split hoping for a queen.....when gold hive swarmed i took comb with queen cells and sealed brood and put in this hive.....there is lots of brood at 4 weeks. Hurray, hurray!!!! Pink hive will be checked in ten days....i know there is a queen....unless a bird ate her on her mating flight. so first of may i had one viable hive, now i have 3!! Wonderful!!
Pink hive has brood although in a funny pattern. Lots of chalkbrood which is strange as this swarm was installed in a brand new never used hive.......this leads me to think this swarm came from some where elseand was not a secondary thrown from gold hive. will continue to monitor. i LOVE MY BEES!
a very dry spring so far. Bees are making babies, gathering pollen and taking in feed.
ReplyDeleteMy first lot of lip balm samples is already gone......need to make more.
very cool, lots of north wind. lots of activity at hive.....i want to make a split. bees taking syrup and lots of pollen going in. i need to be patient and wait for Mother Nature.
ReplyDeleteweather is improving; dandelions, wild fruit trees and grape hyacinths are out. got some real nice pics of bees feeding on the hyacinths.
ReplyDeletemade a walk away split on sunday:hope it takes.
melting wax in little batches at dinner time....multi tasking!
made some coconut oil/beeswax lip balm and it all sold in a couple hours. texture is a little drier and firmer than the almond oil balm but it lasts longer. I like it!!!
well, the girls swarmed on may26. i was outside to see them go.... they settled on a tree branch about 35' up. WAY too high for me to get them. they were there about 48 hours and then they disappeared on may28 when i was at work [paid labour].oh well, i learned some lessons and am satisfied that they will be a source of more swarms in the coming years......
ReplyDeleteon june 6, the gold hive produced a secondary swarm. my mom saw them on a young pine tree. as the treewas a memorial planting, i didn't want to cut it as the bees were all around the main trunk about 3 feet off the ground. fortunately the tree is still very flexible-a good shake dislodged most of the bees. i carried them to the empty pink hive and put them in. i saw the queen going up the ramp i made. my 2nd and 3rd shake just marched right up that plywood like little soldiers. AMAZING!!!! Mom took some photos. I'll post when i figure it out.
ReplyDeletethis coming Saturday june 23 will be 4 weeks since hive originally swarmed. i will check for new brood from new queens; hopefully Mother Nature has provided.
Post number 2.
ReplyDeleteBees are still taking syrup. A little pollen is going in, land is very dry. saw a bumblebee taking syrup too. strange weather patterns. everything is so early this year.
Appearance of bee yard coming along; thank heavens I have a strong well.
Checked gold hive: new eggs, brood in all stages, little sealed brood. may be a supersedure coming up. this hive threw a huge swarm and then 12 days later a secondary swarm.
ReplyDeleteChecked blue hive (die out in winter): made a split hoping for a queen.....when gold hive swarmed i took comb with queen cells and sealed brood and put in this hive.....there is lots of brood at 4 weeks.
Hurray, hurray!!!!
Pink hive will be checked in ten days....i know there is a queen....unless a bird ate her on her mating flight.
so first of may i had one viable hive, now i have 3!! Wonderful!!
Pink hive has brood although in a funny pattern. Lots of chalkbrood which is strange as this swarm was installed in a brand new never used hive.......this leads me to think this swarm came from some where elseand was not a secondary thrown from gold hive.
ReplyDeletewill continue to monitor.
i LOVE MY BEES!