One Hive of survivalist bees is now two

[BoomTown]

You want it now. Gotta have a queen. Do he instrumental enseminate?
If not that queen gotta fly. If it rainy chance are they aint gonna fins the
Dca. Drone containment area. Where they go to party.
Way to much learning to do here.
Go to a gourmet called ...... beesource. That's a start

So I'm tole

huh?

[goose eye]

Bees mate in flight or you use a tool.
To fly it can't be real windy or rainy
the mate with drone
Drone hang out in a special place - drone containment area- dca. To mate.
The queens fly there

Fourm. Beesource. Its like this fourm

Ole boys use to be pollinaters a long while back

So I'm tole

[InglisHill]

Wish they still were, the populations are becoming ever increasingly smaller.

That would have worried the old boys, don't see why it don't bother us!

[Jimbo]

It bothers some of us. And getting more visibility all the time. Need to influence the gooberment to pull their head out of their ass and look closer at Bayers Neonicotinoid family pesticides. A lot of evidence now pointing to that as cause of colony collapse disorder thats been plaguing us for years.

[BoomTown]

Been up in Virginia (Dancing with Bankers) and finally got back here to the planned distillery in Pennsylvania.

My new hive arrived, some assembly required, will get to that today I guess. Clover is blooming all around here now, and gobs of wild flowers along the road sides. Probably too late to get any bees, but I'm going to try to find some lemon grass just the same.

Not sure what Lemon grass is, nor where to find it. Is there any other option for attracting a 'smart', and is it too late in the year to expect that possibility?

Boom

[Jimbo]

Yes build it up and put some lemon grass in there. I had a hive swarm yesterday, caught it luckily. You might catch one. FInd a field where someone has a bunch of hives. And put your box in the next field over LOL. I'll post up some pics in a bit of the swarm caught yesterday.

[Jimbo]

[humbledore]

Jimbo I know nothing about bees, what'd you do with them after this pic?

[Jimbo]

New home for swarm: https://youtu.be/jv26ORymuoI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Jimbo]

The old queen they took with them when they swarmed is in the middle of that ball. As long as I get the queen in the box when I shake them in there the rest will smell her and follow her in there. That was 2 boxes of drawn comb, they're happy as clams now. I checked them this morning and bees are coming and going bringing nectar and pollen back, Im sure she's in there laying already since the comb was all drawn and ready. The nurse bees just needed to clean it up some, some damage, some dead bees stuck in there. THey take care of all that when they make it home and hang up the home sweet home sign. Meanwhile, the other hive they swarmed from has a new queen, prolly yesterday, day after they swarmed. She needs to go on a mating flight, then she can get to laying. That hive will have a lull now, half the bees gone, 3 weeks for eggs to hatch, 3 more weeks for them to fly. So its half a hive for 6 weeks. Ill feed them now, and in the fall they'll pack in from the goldenrod bloom.

[goose eye]

If there one queen cell there gonna be more. She might kill em she might not.
watch the Robbin you usein front feeder.

If the ole boys didn't know them bees come from there hives they wouldn't
bring them in yard til they knowed they wont bringing in
problems, foul brood or such etc etc

So I'm tole

[Jimbo]

goose, there's usually more than one queen cell. But I thought first hatch kills the others. You say she might not? Cant be 2 queens in there, what happens then? Nuther swarm right away?

[goose eye]

They'll swarm again an again til there aint no bees left.
why the ole boys tried Togo thru em lookin. They sneaky
where they put em an don't find em all.tried to split early wont worried about honey to
much. You listen careful you'll hear pipin that one queen lookin
the other.

So I'm tole

[Jimbo]

ok that explains why Ive had a hive swarm then swarm again right away. It was maddening. Yes them peanut queen cells can be tucked away pretty good. I never worry about honey on a split hive or swarm. Just let em build up stores for winter.

[goose eye]

How you know if swarm queen is in hive look at bees on
bottom board. Is the facin in with there tails in the air beatin
there wings then queen is in don't mean she gonna stay
Get a frame of brood an eggs an put in there they most likely
Aint leaving.

So I'm tole

[Jimbo]

Rainin today they all in. I'll put a frame of brood in tomorrow. Thanks goose.

[goose eye]

If it was drawn she should be laying think I'd pass on the frame
right now. Give em time to settle in an go from there.
You lookin a good patern - her layin in most every cell on a frame.
requeen if you got to. Queen 20.00 a nuc 130.00. Don't lose the
hive cause of a queen.

Some ole boys seen put a queen excluded on front an let em fight it out.
Make sure you on too of it cause toll get a worker layin
An that aint ever good.


So I'm tole

[Jimbo]

I gave her 20 frames of drawn comb. Figured she got to work right away.

[goose eye]

Sometime you don't want to give em to much to defend
Cause of hive Beatles. There numbers gonna drop before the eggs hatch.
might choke down opening an take shallow off till you got 8
frames full.

So I'm tole

[goose eye]

An wax moths

So I'm tole

[Jimbo]

Boxes were sittin empty. At least its guarded now.

[goose eye]

Before you add drawed out frames on a hive put em in the deep
freeze for a couple days. Pull em out a in a couple hours they should be
ready.
Can save a frame that way to

So I'm tole

[thecroweater]

Had to leave my hives in SA , moths got all but one. Would love to catch a swarm here but only ever seen them on the wing . I thought a had a hive set up in my wood pile and got ready to trap them just to find out I had them damn german wasps , now I got to figure how to kill the off

[Jimbo]

I checked the hive. From the picture you can see this was quite a large swarm. Bee's are packing all 20 frames already and spilling out the top opening in the top cover. no chance for any wax moth or beetle larvae to make it out of this one alive. Very healthy large swarm already going to town in there.

[BoomTown]

I checked the hive. From the picture you can see this was quite a large swarm. Bee's are packing all 20 frames already and spilling out the top opening in the top cover. no chance for any wax moth or beetle larvae to make it out of this one alive. Very healthy large swarm already going to town in there.

Wishing my new hive were near enough to attract your swarm!...

[Jimbo]

You can find a field adjacent to some hives if you look around some. Here's an alternative to lemon grass to help lure them over. http://www.swarmcommander.com/product/s ... warm-lure/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I saw it in action on some youtube video's but have no experience with it myself. Seemed to work from what I saw. The video came on after mine in youtube, must be linked by common tag words or something. Clever little 7 frame box with 2 holes drilled, hang it in a tree, give it a couple spritzes of this crap and wait for them to move in.

[Jimbo]

Here's an interesting video boom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjqg1UpsbU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[BoomTown]

Here's an interesting video boom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjqg1UpsbU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Thanks Jimbo...am back in VA for a few days, but will order that lemon grass oil and prepare to do this.

Boom

[BoomTown]

Hey guys, having missed the 'swarm' season, I've feeling kind of blue...but not this blue...

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/05/fre ... lue-honey/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Jimbo]

Bees can swarm anytime. Not unusual to see a swarm in June.

That article is bizarre. Not only is it blue, its not real honey, from nectar, its reconstituted processed sugar. Bummer.