Bee Keeping

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So happy to see updates on this thread.

I did get to visit one hive locally last week. And I got my first sting!
I was visiting this guy with a hive while on my bike and the bee came zooming out of his hive and crashed into me and got jammed between my bike helmet and my sunglass earpiece and naturally stung my temple. OW-eeeeee!!!!!!! But hey, I lived, and had no allergic reaction. The spot was a bit sore and itchy for 3 days or so, but not too bad after the initial 10 minutes of pain.

I had been stung by a wasp once, but I was glad to get this 'test sting' from a honeybee to make sure I wasn't allergic before I get into this endeavor!

GLC- can you explain your previous photo of the jars of honey mash with duct tape in your kitchen?

[GLC1968]

Wow, that's weird. That photo of the honey in the jar is not the original photo I posted! Something must be up with our server and the addresses got mixed up, I think. I'll have to let my H know. I'd originally posted a picture of a close-up of the bees on a frame!

Anyway, that jar photo is how we strained our honey. My H cut the comb off the frame, put it in a bowl and chopped it up fairly small and then put it in the half gallon ball jar. Then he put a piece of clean nylon hosiery over the top and flipped it over onto the top of another jar. He attached them with duct tape. Then we left it like that for about 24 hours in a reasonably warm location. The honey drained into the bottom jar and the comb stayed in the top jar. It's a simple way of separating them if you don't have the centrifuge type equipment.

You can see a few more photos here:
http://simplemetamorphosis.blogspot....ch/label/honey

[Pax]

Wow, that's weird. That photo of the honey in the jar is not the original photo I posted! Something must be up with our server and the addresses got mixed up, I think. I'll have to let my H know. I'd originally posted a picture of a close-up of the bees on a frame!

Anyway, that jar photo is how we strained our honey. My H cut the comb off the frame, put it in a bowl and chopped it up fairly small and then put it in the half gallon ball jar. Then he put a piece of clean nylon hosiery over the top and flipped it over onto the top of another jar. He attached them with duct tape. Then we left it like that for about 24 hours in a reasonably warm location. The honey drained into the bottom jar and the comb stayed in the top jar. It's a simple way of separating them if you don't have the centrifuge type equipment.

You can see a few more photos here:
http://simplemetamorphosis.blogspot....ch/label/honey

Neat pics GLC!! I'd love to visit our local beekeepers but the only ones I know are affiliated with the university and they're not open to the public.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well I am now officially a beekeeper.

A neighbor sold her farm that was located in another town, and she had had a bee hive there for several years which she now had no place for, so she said i could have it. It especially pleased her that she would even be able to come visit her old bees down the street in their new home at my place.
After much preparation, today a kind young beekeeper helped me and we went through the whole hive getting it ready for winter... and then at dusk he and I trucked it over to my house this evening and now it's all set up in back of my garden.
Poor bees will wake up tomorrow in a whole new world.
It was so cool, we found the queen and got to look at Her Majesty!
I'm very lucky- these bees are very healthy, are acclimatized to our zone already, and were extremely gentle when we took apart the whole hive.
I'm very happy and excited!

[short cut sally]

WOOO HOOO for you!!!!! COngratulations to you...You will be so amazed next year, they have been so fascinating for me. They truly are amazing little creatures.
I wanted to peak into the hives today, but it's so windy out that I didn't dare to. I wanted to take the inner cover off and put in some crisco/sugar mixture to help with some mite control for over the winter..I don't want to use chemicals or antibiotics like a lot of people do. I want to keep it more natural.
Oh, and in November, somewheres around the 13th, there is a meeting in Syracuse for the Eastern honey bee keepers association. I heard about it last night by another bee keeper. He said he goes as there are lots of speakers and things. It's like 45.00 a day maybe and it's a 2 day event. I didn't get all the facts yet, I was half asleep when he called to tell me...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

WOOO HOOO for you!!!!! COngratulations to you...You will be so amazed next year, they have been so fascinating for me. They truly are amazing little creatures.
I wanted to peak into the hives today, but it's so windy out that I didn't dare to. I wanted to take the inner cover off and put in some crisco/sugar mixture to help with some mite control for over the winter..I don't want to use chemicals or antibiotics like a lot of people do. I want to keep it more natural.
Oh, and in November, somewheres around the 13th, there is a meeting in Syracuse for the Eastern honey bee keepers association. I heard about it last night by another bee keeper. He said he goes as there are lots of speakers and things. It's like 45.00 a day maybe and it's a 2 day event. I didn't get all the facts yet, I was half asleep when he called to tell me...

Thanks Shelly...ooops I mean Sally!
Here are more details and pictures of my new/old hive, now in place in back of my garden!: HERE.

Yes, it is nasty bee weather here too today. I wanted to give them some syrup but it's windy and cloudy and chilly. Will maybe try tomorrow if no wind.
'The girls' are not venturing out much today anyway...too cold and windy and of course they are completely disoriented at this point too. Still, there are a few dozen brave souls going in and out, yet a dozen or so have died this morning on the ground around the hive- too chilled and couldn't find their way back in again I suppose. Good thing there are several thousand to spare.

I am still amazed at how gentle they all were when we were pulling the whole hive apart frame by frame yesterday. Very impressive and endearing.

Have you looked into the Honey-B-Healthy supplement to add to sugar syrup feedings? It contains natural stuff like lemongrass oil and spearmint oil, no nasty chemicals, and I've heard bees seem to thrive on it and the varroa mites detest it and their numbers tend to decline when bees are fed with it.
I've read that the grease/crisco cakes are good for tracheal mites but do little to combat varroa mites.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Photos I took of my girls today while I was doing hive chores ...

[GLC1968]

yet a dozen or so have died this morning on the ground around the hive-

Chances are - those dead bees were already dead when you set up the hive. Bees often do 'house cleanning' - particularly when it starts to get cold. They move all the dead bees out of the hive before they get it all set up for winter. It's extremely common to find small piles of dead bees outside the hive entrance as the temps start to drop.

Those are some beautiful photos!


My H and I attended two classes at our local bee suppliers location this past weekend. We took a soap making class in the AM and then a candle making one in the PM. Man...that beeswax is some handy stuff, isn't it? I'm really looking forward to 'harvesting' some next year. My H can have the honey...I want the wax! This year, we took only one frame of honey and we are not feeding our bees this winter. They did very, very well this year and really built up a beautiful supply. If all goes well, we'll buy/build a second hive in the spring.