Monday, July 23, 2012
Summer Dearth and Brood Break
Things are finally settling down around my house… I have been busy, but at a slower pace. Its been nice…
I was able to get some hive inspections done yesterday. Its been a while since I could methodically work down a row of hives with nothing but inspections to do. Usually I have to make splits etc so its always something to do other than inspect.
In doing so my purpose for this round was to see “where we are” in relation to brood rearing etc… Just as I expected brood rearing is slowing down and in one case (1 out of 21) the hive has completely shut down. This is exactly what I want to see in my operation.
Also I have ZERO drones being raised… which is not good for fall supercedures which occur.
The reason why they slow down is related to the pollen and nectar flow. As feed comes in, in lesser amounts the queen slows down producing brood. Makes sense, less feed = less brood.
This all said, a solid brood break combined with a solid fall flow is fine, however IF we don’t have a solid fall flow the hives can be in danger as they will have reduced in population size and will not have the pollen stores to produce healthy winter bees.
Personally I never bet my hives on the fall flow… I spend an estimated $30 per hive per year on feed. Not a whole lot considering what a hive cost.
Also with extended forecast showing extended drought and high temps into late October its not looking good for a fall flow, especially when a flow is typically related to ground moisture levels and not overhead rain… in the Midwest there is a good chance they will exceed the “Dust Bowl” drought levels in just a week or so!!!
As many of you know I am a firm believer in feeding and practice what I preach when it comes to feeding.
I budget for 6-8 lbs of pollen patty per hive per fall at a MINIMUM.
I will typically start anywhere from Mid July to the first of August and continue feeding until mid to late September at a rate of one lb (one patty) per week per hive.
I want my hives to have ATLEAST 3 rounds of HEALTHY well fed brood reared before winter. This is an industry “rule of thumb” for many and I find it to work well for me.
I have used several commercial products and some homemade recipes, but find it’s not worth my time to make my own for my operation. I have used MegaBee, Bee Pro, and Ultra Bee with great success.
One concern with feeding patty’s is IF you have high levels of small hive beetles AND the hive doesn’t consume it fast enough, the small hive beetles will reproduce in it… However a hive that doesn’t consume 1lb in 5-7 days “paper and all” is either a small starter hive or something is wrong…
Many folks place the patty’s in the incorrect location for fast consumption. NURSE bees are the only ones that consume pollen patty’s and they use it to produce royal/worker jelly. So put it where the nurse bees are… in between the bottom and top brood boxes (between the 2nd and 3rd medium if you use mediums for brood chambers) (NOT on top under the inner cover!!!).
Well I hope this finds you all well and enjoy this break in the heat we are having and inspect those hives.
Have a good one!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
A Few Summer Thoughts
So its been a long while since I posted anything bee related. Been far too busy with both bees and moving into a new house to discuss much… But so far this has been one of the best seasons I can remember even before I had bees. So far there seems to still be a little nectar coming in from clover and misc wild flowers so that’s good as usually our flow has pretty much stopped by mid june. I am going to be extracting honey this weekend and hope to have plenty to sale, but we shall see…
Most of my thoughts recently have been around building hives up and how to control late season swarming as I plan to overwinter mostly single deep and double medium hives. I also want to max out my equipment and basically go into winter with nothing in storage. So we shall see how this goes.
For those of you who may have been wondering, this year I don’t plan to start pollen patty feeding until the first of August and stop about mid September, in years past I have fed until they stop taking it, but have found the hives to be slightly larger than I would want and harder to keep food in front of them, however in singles I will have to feed anyway and they should minimize their population much like fish grow to their tank size, I see this in my overwintering nucs… they grow to the size they need in the space they have…
Also i have a few new breeders I am going to be grafting from this year as well for fall queens, several have 4-6 honey supers on them at the moment so working them is not easy so I have not grafted from them yet… However, I have been grafting from others and now have 2 new Inseminated breeders from Glen Apiaries to try which are a pure Carni and the new Pol-Line from the USDA. The Pol-Line may be more Italian than I want, but breeding with my Carnis and other mutts I have should provide a good continual mix of both wintering ability and honey production as well as gentleness. So I hope it works out.. only time will tell.
The other things I havnt discussed is next years nuc plans, Nuc sales were great this year and I could have sold more, but the one thing I learned was I sold too many different types, 4 types in total. In 2013 I will sell only 1 type and that will be spring made deep 5 frame nucs. What happened was with 4 types it turned into a management issue and was a royal pain for me to manage. I know this may disappoint some as I will not be selling medium nucs, but time may change that who knows. What I may do with those is increase the price and include a bottom board, wooden 10 frame box, and additional 2 foundation frames. This way I can still sell medium nucs to those few that want them.
So I hope all is well and remember you need to be preparing NOW for any fall treatments or feeding that you may need.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Any thoughts?
I know its been a while since i posted something bee related... been so busy with a new house (closing today), selling nucs, and recently severe arm pain...
Here is one image from my MRI i think is odd and might be the problem... see that shaded area on my spinal cord?
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Better Weather Ahead?
So we have finally gotten some cold weather, actually we even got some snow! I went east this weekend to my parents house in New Kent and noticed the maples seem to be about a week ahead of my house in Buckingham… Not unusual, they seem to be a week ahead of me anyway with the blooms…
Looking forward I noticed the temps are pretty stable around 30’s at night and 50’s in the day over the next 2 weeks. That’s not bad, especially when you look at the average temperature being 42 deg over that 2 week period and the fact that bees are at their most efficient between about 40-45 deg F. So that means (or should mean) that my bees should stay pretty efficient during the majority of the 24 hours , but have the ability when temps reach near or above 50 for those few hours in the day to move around and shift food around as needed…
Of course this all assumes the bees don’t have too much brood and freeze themselves to death trying to keep the brood warm…
So in the end, things seem on track this year, maple bloom around mid February, mild near seasonal temps, and hives so far still living…
Could things change? Yes, of course its mother nature and VA Feb/March anything is possible. But IMO if we get through the end of Feb with mild/good temps and I keep an eye on the feed in the hives everything should be just fine.
I have already placed pollen patties on the hives to help feed brood and most still have (or did have) fondant on them. Honestly they could use another 5 lb round of fondant, but instead of ordering that I believe I am going to open feed with buckets using a new method a friend of mine in Mass. shared with me. OPEN FEEDING VIDEO
Many folks are against open feeding, for good reasons. For example, fighting can occur, drowning, transfer of disease (another argument sometime), and could start robbing.
I have open fed before but not to my satisfaction due to high levels (maybe not that high) of dead bees. But this is all putting a “float” in an open bucket… I also was over crowding the feeding space. Allen Dick in Alberta once told me 10 hives per 55 gallon drum, what your looking for is the feeding area. So I figured it up to be 2.5 hives per 5 gallon bucket… I like the idea and it would mimic the foraging for nectar just fine. But I would need 24 buckets to feed my 60 hives… Maybe it would be easier to feed individually? Maybe not? I haven’t decided yet…
So anyway, keep checking those hives and feeding them if needed, in my case I am feeding to stimulate growth, health, as well as keep them alive just in case they run out. Remember Late Feb and March is when most beehives starve!!!
Looking forward I noticed the temps are pretty stable around 30’s at night and 50’s in the day over the next 2 weeks. That’s not bad, especially when you look at the average temperature being 42 deg over that 2 week period and the fact that bees are at their most efficient between about 40-45 deg F. So that means (or should mean) that my bees should stay pretty efficient during the majority of the 24 hours , but have the ability when temps reach near or above 50 for those few hours in the day to move around and shift food around as needed…
Of course this all assumes the bees don’t have too much brood and freeze themselves to death trying to keep the brood warm…
So in the end, things seem on track this year, maple bloom around mid February, mild near seasonal temps, and hives so far still living…
Could things change? Yes, of course its mother nature and VA Feb/March anything is possible. But IMO if we get through the end of Feb with mild/good temps and I keep an eye on the feed in the hives everything should be just fine.
I have already placed pollen patties on the hives to help feed brood and most still have (or did have) fondant on them. Honestly they could use another 5 lb round of fondant, but instead of ordering that I believe I am going to open feed with buckets using a new method a friend of mine in Mass. shared with me. OPEN FEEDING VIDEO
Many folks are against open feeding, for good reasons. For example, fighting can occur, drowning, transfer of disease (another argument sometime), and could start robbing.
I have open fed before but not to my satisfaction due to high levels (maybe not that high) of dead bees. But this is all putting a “float” in an open bucket… I also was over crowding the feeding space. Allen Dick in Alberta once told me 10 hives per 55 gallon drum, what your looking for is the feeding area. So I figured it up to be 2.5 hives per 5 gallon bucket… I like the idea and it would mimic the foraging for nectar just fine. But I would need 24 buckets to feed my 60 hives… Maybe it would be easier to feed individually? Maybe not? I haven’t decided yet…
So anyway, keep checking those hives and feeding them if needed, in my case I am feeding to stimulate growth, health, as well as keep them alive just in case they run out. Remember Late Feb and March is when most beehives starve!!!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Early Spring or Winter NEVER-land?
Early Spring or Winter NEVER-land?
So as many folks on the east coast can attest to we have had a VERY mild winter thus far… Based on my count the maples have bloomed now 3 times since November alone and I now see the elms budding slightly.
The hives seem to be very healthy. I have been keeping fondant on them since they are using a lot of stores during this warm but nectar-less time. However, they have slowed greatly, but I anticipate brood rearing will really get going now since this week will be in the 60’s all week and pollen is coming in.
I will continue to feed fondant as needed since as they hatch more and more brood they will consume more and more honey… after all most starvation cases occur during the months of February and March…
I have heard a number of folks report “healthy” looking hives with great populations. I am glad folks are actually looking and not assuming, many of those same folks are also watchful of light hives and have mentioned they will feed fondant if needed.
On Saturday I watched a number of hives flying strong collecting water and maple pollen, although it seemed more were carrying water than pollen…
I have yet to break apart frames, I normally don’t do this until mid feb on warm days, but it’s been so warm I could have.
So what are you seeing?
Email me at “DougLadd at gmail dot com”
So as many folks on the east coast can attest to we have had a VERY mild winter thus far… Based on my count the maples have bloomed now 3 times since November alone and I now see the elms budding slightly.
The hives seem to be very healthy. I have been keeping fondant on them since they are using a lot of stores during this warm but nectar-less time. However, they have slowed greatly, but I anticipate brood rearing will really get going now since this week will be in the 60’s all week and pollen is coming in.
I will continue to feed fondant as needed since as they hatch more and more brood they will consume more and more honey… after all most starvation cases occur during the months of February and March…
I have heard a number of folks report “healthy” looking hives with great populations. I am glad folks are actually looking and not assuming, many of those same folks are also watchful of light hives and have mentioned they will feed fondant if needed.
On Saturday I watched a number of hives flying strong collecting water and maple pollen, although it seemed more were carrying water than pollen…
I have yet to break apart frames, I normally don’t do this until mid feb on warm days, but it’s been so warm I could have.
So what are you seeing?
Email me at “DougLadd at gmail dot com”
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Some Life Thoughts
I know this isn’t bee related, but… this is something I have believed and experienced since I was young and something I believe is important in life.
We are here for such a short time on this earth, to be with loved ones, family, and experience life. Life is a gift, so we should enjoy it as such.
I often tell folks that you better enjoy what you do no matter what it is, because you can’t buy back time with money, life is only experienced in the present and nothing else.
Many folks I see work jobs they hate, doing it for the money they say. But what is money really? When you’re at work you’re selling your life to the company, that’s all it is. Although I enjoy my work, the folks I work with, etc. It is NOT my life, I am not an Engineer I am and a Doug first and foremost, what I do is Engineering. I only work because I want to provide for my family, but the truth is I spend more time (we all do) at work or going to work that I spend awake with my family… think about that…
I also see people change who they are to fit in, to make someone else happy, to get a job etc. This will never end good, it will always end in defeat. Yes we can change putting the toilet seat down, helping more around the house, stop cursing, drinking, etc. But we have to be true to ourselves.
Through my short time on this earth, I have talked to people that have moved away from home to do something “better”, sure it turns out ok sometimes, but more times than not people stay unhappy for 30 years working for some company, then they move back.
Look at the average life span after retirement? My company sends out a magazine that has obituaries in the back of it that also show when that person retired… many times people have only been retired for about 10 years! 10 years folks. So we spend 30 years (our best 30 years) of life working all the time for money. For things we think we need. Then we get 10 years of most likely aches and pains, we cant ski, we cant hunt like we used, we cant go hiking, etc.
We have to work, we have to provide for our families, but we also MUST make sure we enjoy life while we are able and never regret not doing anything. Work a little, save a little, but make sure your have a TON of fun.
In my case I will be 30 years old this year, have 5 years with the company, fully vested in the pension plan at 55 yrs old (if that even exist when I get there), will be 55 yrs old with 30 yrs service, and just last year they bumped the retirement age for medical to 58 from 55… this means in the next 25 years most likely medical will be at 65… so my plans are to make sure I am debt free by 53 or before and work on my terms. I see so many folks my age and younger who are not preparing for the future, not putting into their 401k (if that’s there in 25 years anyway…) but making no provisions to be debt free, they continue to buy fancy homes rolling over the equity into a bigger home for another 30 years with no thoughts of how are they going to pay that payment at 70 years old…
Anyway folks, that’s enough rambling. But PLEASE make sure your enjoying life and being true to yourself and others…
All spawned by Dan Tyminski:
We are here for such a short time on this earth, to be with loved ones, family, and experience life. Life is a gift, so we should enjoy it as such.
I often tell folks that you better enjoy what you do no matter what it is, because you can’t buy back time with money, life is only experienced in the present and nothing else.
Many folks I see work jobs they hate, doing it for the money they say. But what is money really? When you’re at work you’re selling your life to the company, that’s all it is. Although I enjoy my work, the folks I work with, etc. It is NOT my life, I am not an Engineer I am and a Doug first and foremost, what I do is Engineering. I only work because I want to provide for my family, but the truth is I spend more time (we all do) at work or going to work that I spend awake with my family… think about that…
I also see people change who they are to fit in, to make someone else happy, to get a job etc. This will never end good, it will always end in defeat. Yes we can change putting the toilet seat down, helping more around the house, stop cursing, drinking, etc. But we have to be true to ourselves.
Through my short time on this earth, I have talked to people that have moved away from home to do something “better”, sure it turns out ok sometimes, but more times than not people stay unhappy for 30 years working for some company, then they move back.
Look at the average life span after retirement? My company sends out a magazine that has obituaries in the back of it that also show when that person retired… many times people have only been retired for about 10 years! 10 years folks. So we spend 30 years (our best 30 years) of life working all the time for money. For things we think we need. Then we get 10 years of most likely aches and pains, we cant ski, we cant hunt like we used, we cant go hiking, etc.
We have to work, we have to provide for our families, but we also MUST make sure we enjoy life while we are able and never regret not doing anything. Work a little, save a little, but make sure your have a TON of fun.
In my case I will be 30 years old this year, have 5 years with the company, fully vested in the pension plan at 55 yrs old (if that even exist when I get there), will be 55 yrs old with 30 yrs service, and just last year they bumped the retirement age for medical to 58 from 55… this means in the next 25 years most likely medical will be at 65… so my plans are to make sure I am debt free by 53 or before and work on my terms. I see so many folks my age and younger who are not preparing for the future, not putting into their 401k (if that’s there in 25 years anyway…) but making no provisions to be debt free, they continue to buy fancy homes rolling over the equity into a bigger home for another 30 years with no thoughts of how are they going to pay that payment at 70 years old…
Anyway folks, that’s enough rambling. But PLEASE make sure your enjoying life and being true to yourself and others…
All spawned by Dan Tyminski:
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Buckingham Beekeeping Club Presents 2012 Beginners Beekeeping Course!!!
2012 Beekeeping Workshop Series
Door Prize to be awarded at the April class:
One Starter Bee Hive!
Must attend at least 3 of the 4 classes to qualify for drawing. Hive does not include bees.
Starter Hive donated by: Oxner Apiaries- Honey, Bee Supplies, Swarm Retrieval, and Nucs.
January 18th:
Beginning Bee Keeping
7:00 p.m.
February 15th:
How to Build a Hive – hands on instruction
7:00 p.m.
March 21st:
Environmental & Seasonal Changes for Bee Hives
7:00 p.m.
April (TBD):
Hands on working a Hive
Date, Time & Location to be determined (must attend 2 of the first three classes to be authorized for this class.
Please RSVP by January 10, 2012 to Buckingham Extension (434) 969-4261
Cost $10.00, includes all instructional and take home materials
LOCATION:
The Buckingham Extension office
Door Prize to be awarded at the April class:
One Starter Bee Hive!
Must attend at least 3 of the 4 classes to qualify for drawing. Hive does not include bees.
Starter Hive donated by: Oxner Apiaries- Honey, Bee Supplies, Swarm Retrieval, and Nucs.
January 18th:
Beginning Bee Keeping
7:00 p.m.
February 15th:
How to Build a Hive – hands on instruction
7:00 p.m.
March 21st:
Environmental & Seasonal Changes for Bee Hives
7:00 p.m.
April (TBD):
Hands on working a Hive
Date, Time & Location to be determined (must attend 2 of the first three classes to be authorized for this class.
Please RSVP by January 10, 2012 to Buckingham Extension (434) 969-4261
Cost $10.00, includes all instructional and take home materials
LOCATION:
The Buckingham Extension office
Monday, November 28, 2011
Light Weight Hives
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I did, the weather was wonderful (for me) and I got a ton of work done on the little things I have been putting off for so long.
Well the weather has been nice this fall, too nice in my opinion for the bees. We have had many days well above average. With these warm temps come active hives consuming honey they normally wouldn’t be consuming. After all they are flying but what are they getting? Maybe some water, but that’s it. Not only this all this flying early in the winter reduces their lifetime through winter…
No one really knows what this all means, but in my mind a warm fall can be death to already light or weakened hives. I know I have been checking on my 60 hives a few times, lifting the back and comparing “weight”, I need to buy me a scale… maybe next year… anyway most of my hives are ok, not great but ok with honey weight. While others have eaten all their stored honey and would starve before December if not fed. Some hives have a ton of honey, but it aint many of them…
The weather has been so crazy, I have even seen with my own eyes maples blooming and bees working the blooms!!! Come on Mother Nature really? Maples blooming in November?
The purpose for this email is just to make sure everyone is at least “tipping” their hives to make sure they are heavy, remember in normal winter we 50-60lbs of honey, but so far this has not been a normal winter and in my opinion that 50-60 lbs might be like 20-30 lbs left in the hive if not all gone…
It doesn’t take 3 seconds, so get out there and lift those hives… (make sure you take that heavy rock off the top first!)
I have been using fondant (300lbs so far) on my top bars with a spacer to feed my bees, I expect to have fed about 10 lbs per hive by April, so that’s not a lot per hive ($10 worth). To me an ounce of prevention is worth a ton. To me this also doesn’t have anything to do with survivability, yeah some will do better than others, but none had a huge surplus of honey, if they did I had pulled it and extracted it anyway… so to me this has to do with an abnormal fall and human intervention created a recipe for disaster.
Remember a few lbs of fondant or even dry sugar on newspaper is far cheaper than the loss honey next spring or the price and ramp up of a package to fill the deadout… to me its all about agriculture and taking care of your animals. You feed your cat after all and they can catch mice and birds right?
We are going to be getting seasonal weather soon this week, so that’s awesome. It’s about time!
Again I hope this finds you and your bees well and don’t forget to order your new hive equipment for next year now while most manufactures have free shipping and you have some spare time on those cold winter days to assemble equipment….
Well the weather has been nice this fall, too nice in my opinion for the bees. We have had many days well above average. With these warm temps come active hives consuming honey they normally wouldn’t be consuming. After all they are flying but what are they getting? Maybe some water, but that’s it. Not only this all this flying early in the winter reduces their lifetime through winter…
No one really knows what this all means, but in my mind a warm fall can be death to already light or weakened hives. I know I have been checking on my 60 hives a few times, lifting the back and comparing “weight”, I need to buy me a scale… maybe next year… anyway most of my hives are ok, not great but ok with honey weight. While others have eaten all their stored honey and would starve before December if not fed. Some hives have a ton of honey, but it aint many of them…
The weather has been so crazy, I have even seen with my own eyes maples blooming and bees working the blooms!!! Come on Mother Nature really? Maples blooming in November?
The purpose for this email is just to make sure everyone is at least “tipping” their hives to make sure they are heavy, remember in normal winter we 50-60lbs of honey, but so far this has not been a normal winter and in my opinion that 50-60 lbs might be like 20-30 lbs left in the hive if not all gone…
It doesn’t take 3 seconds, so get out there and lift those hives… (make sure you take that heavy rock off the top first!)
I have been using fondant (300lbs so far) on my top bars with a spacer to feed my bees, I expect to have fed about 10 lbs per hive by April, so that’s not a lot per hive ($10 worth). To me an ounce of prevention is worth a ton. To me this also doesn’t have anything to do with survivability, yeah some will do better than others, but none had a huge surplus of honey, if they did I had pulled it and extracted it anyway… so to me this has to do with an abnormal fall and human intervention created a recipe for disaster.
Remember a few lbs of fondant or even dry sugar on newspaper is far cheaper than the loss honey next spring or the price and ramp up of a package to fill the deadout… to me its all about agriculture and taking care of your animals. You feed your cat after all and they can catch mice and birds right?
We are going to be getting seasonal weather soon this week, so that’s awesome. It’s about time!
Again I hope this finds you and your bees well and don’t forget to order your new hive equipment for next year now while most manufactures have free shipping and you have some spare time on those cold winter days to assemble equipment….
Thursday, October 13, 2011
CCD?
So i will be honest, i need to do an updated post regarding my hive inspections last weekend, but i need to find the time to do so in detail...
Anyway, i was reading an article on the Black Plague and came upon this quote which i felt spoke to the current issues our bees face today, or what some people call CCD...
"You had an immune-compromised population living in London under stressful conditions who were then hit with a new pathogen," Hendrik Poinar, a co-author of the paper and an evolutionary geneticist at McMaster University, told USA Today"
I have always believed and still do that CCD is nothing more than stress, bad health, poor feed, and new pest.
As many of you know, if you have talked to me in person, i believe the die offs etc are nothing more than stress caused by a poor food supply, so many of todays locations are limited and maintained by us humans, such as mono-culture farms, lawns cut every week, hedge rows sprayed, and fields cut 3-4times a year. Weeds (diverse flora) no longer exist. I was told a few years back by my mentor (while saying she should cut her field), that "this overgrown field provides more forage than a planted field of clover". She is right and i have seen it, i now cherish the 2-3 year old uncut fields around my house.
Anyway, just figured i would post something related to both bees and humans... i have long said humans will perish the same as the bees when not fed correctly, not maintained correctly when needed, and a new pest comes along... heck look at most of the American population these days...
Anyway, i was reading an article on the Black Plague and came upon this quote which i felt spoke to the current issues our bees face today, or what some people call CCD...
"You had an immune-compromised population living in London under stressful conditions who were then hit with a new pathogen," Hendrik Poinar, a co-author of the paper and an evolutionary geneticist at McMaster University, told USA Today"
I have always believed and still do that CCD is nothing more than stress, bad health, poor feed, and new pest.
As many of you know, if you have talked to me in person, i believe the die offs etc are nothing more than stress caused by a poor food supply, so many of todays locations are limited and maintained by us humans, such as mono-culture farms, lawns cut every week, hedge rows sprayed, and fields cut 3-4times a year. Weeds (diverse flora) no longer exist. I was told a few years back by my mentor (while saying she should cut her field), that "this overgrown field provides more forage than a planted field of clover". She is right and i have seen it, i now cherish the 2-3 year old uncut fields around my house.
Anyway, just figured i would post something related to both bees and humans... i have long said humans will perish the same as the bees when not fed correctly, not maintained correctly when needed, and a new pest comes along... heck look at most of the American population these days...
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Wild Weed ID Guide
Found this awesome Weed ID guide on the internet.
If you have a slow connection dont try it, its a large file...
http://www.aragriculture.org/weeds/slides/pasture_weed_ID_color.pdf
Not all are shown, but many are HUGE Honey Bee friends...
If you have a slow connection dont try it, its a large file...
http://www.aragriculture.org/weeds/slides/pasture_weed_ID_color.pdf
Not all are shown, but many are HUGE Honey Bee friends...
Friday, September 2, 2011
Unknown Fall Bee Plant
This plant grows in the fields, mostly shady edges around my house in may places. Last year the bees tore it up and it is just starting to bloom now in central VA. It grows from about 2 foot to about 4-5 foot tall with wonderful little yellow flowers.
Any help identifying it would be appreciated.
Any help identifying it would be appreciated.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Russian Brood Patterns
This is a picture i took last friday while inspecting my hives. By far the Russians had the best brood patterns. Although they are known for their wall to wall brood patterns unlike other races who will have the "typical" circular patterns...
Anyway, these Russians came from Charles Harper http://russianbreeder.com/ and have been doing great. I installed them in April and they have provided me with atleast 2 splits each this year if not 3 in some cases!!!!
I did find out that they MUST have open comb available or they will swarm... fortunantly i caught the queen...
Anyway, these Russians came from Charles Harper http://russianbreeder.com/ and have been doing great. I installed them in April and they have provided me with atleast 2 splits each this year if not 3 in some cases!!!!
I did find out that they MUST have open comb available or they will swarm... fortunantly i caught the queen...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A tribute to my late dog
Just was thinking about my animals and thought of my late dog who died from a coyote attack. She was a rescue beagle that i got about 2 years ago, i had her for about a year. She was a wonderful dog like most beagles and loved riding in the truck.
Since then i have gotten another beagle, this one a small blue tick beagle that is an awesome dog as well and really keeps the outside enjoyable.
Here is a tribute to my late Pearl...
Since then i have gotten another beagle, this one a small blue tick beagle that is an awesome dog as well and really keeps the outside enjoyable.
Here is a tribute to my late Pearl...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Recent Pics of my yards
Here are two recent pics of my main yards. figured i would post something...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Winter Pattie Mix
As you may remember back in the winter of 2010/2011 i wrote about and used a marshmallow fondant pattie. These worked great and easy to make. but since i have now grown from 18 hives to 60 things take on different proportions and things done previously dont always make the most sense.
That said i have been researching different options like commerical fondant, marshammalow fondant, and others related to cost and ease of making.
One option is a recipe Kent Williams discussed at the State Meeting, i didnt have a pen and paper, so i found his email address and asked him to send the recipe that way.
I shouldnt share this with yall, since yall should be attending the state meetings... but since others see this in different states i will "let it pass" this time...LOL
Anyway, i am going to be doing the cost analysis of this soon, but feel if i have a way to mix it effectivly than this might be my ticket. I especially like the idea of it involving protien which is needed as the bees start raising brood in January...
You too should start making winter prep plans!
The forumula that "fits best for my needs" is based on 60 hives...
Here is he response email...
The formula that would fit your needs best is 1) 25# bag of sugar - granulated "table" sugar; 2 quarts syrup-mix (made by mixing 6 tablespoons of HBH with 2 quarts of 1-1 sugar syrup) ; 4 to 6 quarts mega-bee or similar protein source. Crushed/powdered pollen is best - if you are confident the source is free from disease and pesticide/fungicide residue. Start with 4 quarts of protein sub and continue adding additional sub until the consistency is similar to dough.
This formula figures (roughly) to 7 parts granulated sugar - 1 part syrup - 2 to 3 parts protein sub, if you want to mix it in smaller amounts.
If beetles are a problem in your area, and if they seem to be attracted to the patties, add 7 or 8 drops of wintergreen oil to each patty when they are placed on the hive. If you do this to one hive in your beeyard, you need to treat all the hives equally. If not treated equally the shb will just move from the treated to the untreated.
That said i have been researching different options like commerical fondant, marshammalow fondant, and others related to cost and ease of making.
One option is a recipe Kent Williams discussed at the State Meeting, i didnt have a pen and paper, so i found his email address and asked him to send the recipe that way.
I shouldnt share this with yall, since yall should be attending the state meetings... but since others see this in different states i will "let it pass" this time...LOL
Anyway, i am going to be doing the cost analysis of this soon, but feel if i have a way to mix it effectivly than this might be my ticket. I especially like the idea of it involving protien which is needed as the bees start raising brood in January...
You too should start making winter prep plans!
The forumula that "fits best for my needs" is based on 60 hives...
Here is he response email...
The formula that would fit your needs best is 1) 25# bag of sugar - granulated "table" sugar; 2 quarts syrup-mix (made by mixing 6 tablespoons of HBH with 2 quarts of 1-1 sugar syrup) ; 4 to 6 quarts mega-bee or similar protein source. Crushed/powdered pollen is best - if you are confident the source is free from disease and pesticide/fungicide residue. Start with 4 quarts of protein sub and continue adding additional sub until the consistency is similar to dough.
This formula figures (roughly) to 7 parts granulated sugar - 1 part syrup - 2 to 3 parts protein sub, if you want to mix it in smaller amounts.
If beetles are a problem in your area, and if they seem to be attracted to the patties, add 7 or 8 drops of wintergreen oil to each patty when they are placed on the hive. If you do this to one hive in your beeyard, you need to treat all the hives equally. If not treated equally the shb will just move from the treated to the untreated.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Bees History and being in this country
Many times i have been told "the bees know better" i don't disagree, but along with this comment usually comes "they have been doing it for millions of years". I have to disagree to a point. Yes honey bees have been around for millions of years, but NOT in North America.
First the German Black Bee was brought over by the settlers in the or so in the 1600's. However, the bee we keep is based off the Italian Honeybee which was not brought over until the mid to late 1800's. which means they have only had a chance to adapt for about 150 years, and of course we have constantly meddled with them as well, which i am sure has slowed their adaptations. As nothing "Man" does ever really works well. Keep in mind 150 years is NOTHING in the life cycle of evolution. Not to mention we keep bees in un-natural boxes. there is NOTHING natural about keeping bees in boxes, topbar hives OR Langs.
So what i am getting at is YES our bees AT TIMES do need our help. After all don't we have an obligation to them since we removed them from their home country and brought them here?
Here is an article that was posted on Bee-L i found an interesting read...
ITALIAN BEES.
During the early part of last year the Commissioner of Patents at Washington authorized Mr. S. B. Parsons, of Long Island, N. Y., to proceed to Italy, and inquire into the habits of Italian bees, and if, upon investigation, he found them possessing qualities of value which our native bees do not possess, to procure a certain number of swarms and send them to the Patent Office.
He entered upon the duties assigned him, and arrived in the country of the Italian Lakes in April, 1859. After wandering about among the hills of that delightful region for some months, his researches were arrested by the approach of hostile armies, and he was not able to resume them until the following September, when he met an intelligent Bavarian who had established himself in the Grisons, and had devoted himself to the culture of pure Italian bees.
The result of his researches convinced him that these bees possess qualities superior to those of our own, and he ordered for the Department to the full amount which he was authorized to expend, and directed them to be sent by the Arago on the 18th of October from Havre, but by some unaccountable delay they were not shipped until December 28th, from Genoa.
In his investigations, Mr. Parsons says he came to the following conclusions in relation to the Italian bees:
1. That they will endure the cold better than ours.
2. That they swarm twice as often.
3. That they are abundantly more prolific.
4. That the working bees begin to forage earlier, and are more industrious.
5. That they are less apt to sting, and may be easily tamed by kind treatment.
6. That the queen may be so educated as to lay her eggs in any hive in which she is placed, while the bees of such a hive, deprived of their ownqueen, will readily receive her.
7. That its proboscis is longer, and it can reach the depths of flowers which are entirely beyond the efforts of the common bee.
8. That a young queen, once impregnated, will continue fertile during her life—from four to seven years. This quality will insure pure broods, till the whole country is fllled with them.
9. That they are far more brave and active than the common bee; will fight with great fierceness, and more effectually keep the moth out of the hive.
Having read the statement of Mr. Parsons, and learning that Mr. Brackett, of Winchester, in this State, a gentleman who has gained some celebrity as a'skillful cultivator of several varieties of grapes,—had introduced the Italian bee into his colonies, we visited his place a few days since, and examined both bees and grapes for ourselves. In the midst of his delightful retreat, surrounded on all sides but the south by the natural forest, he nestles on the hillside with his pleasant family, his forcing houses, grapes, and other plants, and his twenty odd swarms of bees! He is full of zeal in regard to them all,—and that zeal is so admirably tempered with knowledge, that one cannot fail to gather valuable suggestions upon any of his favorite topics. Mr. Brackett was early called into consultation with Mr. Parsons, and one or two other distinguished apiarians, in regard to the course to be pursued with the Italian bees, and as a part of the policy he has introduced eight pure queens into his colonies, having first by a most ingenious device driven all the drones, or males, of the common bee from his hives. The queen of the common bee and the drone brood being taken away, and a new Italian queen introduced, the natural work was at once entered upon of forming new queen and brood cells, so that the eggs deposited by the new queen would produce the pure Italian bee!
From the experience thus far gained, Mr. Brackett is inclined to confirm the statements made by Mr. Parsons. He thinks their merits have not been overrated, and states that they are more easily managed, and less sensitive to cold than our bees.
From a little work by H. C. Hermann, the Bavarian referred to above, we learn tjiat the yellow, Italian bee is a mountain insect; it is found between two mountain chains, to the right and left of Lombardy and the Rhetian Alps, and comprises the whole territory of Tessir, Veltlin and South Graubunden. It thrives up to the height of 4500 feet above the level of the sea, and appears to prefer the northern clime to the warmer, for in the south of Italy it is not found.
It differs from our common black bee in its longer, slender form, and light chrome-yellow color, with brimstone-colored wings, and two orangered girths, each one-sixth of an inch wide. Working bees as well as drones have this mark. The drones are further distinguished by the girths being scolloped, like the spotted water-serpent, and attain an astonishing size; almost half as corpulent again as the black drones. The queen has the same marks as the working bees, but much more conspicuous, and lighter; she is much larger than the black queen, and easy to be singled out of the swarm on account of her remarkable bodily size and light color.
We engaged with Mr. Brackett in some manipulations, such as taking out the queen bee and a drone or two for examination, and peeping into some of the nuclei which he is forming.
The New England farmer, Volume 12. September 1860
First the German Black Bee was brought over by the settlers in the or so in the 1600's. However, the bee we keep is based off the Italian Honeybee which was not brought over until the mid to late 1800's. which means they have only had a chance to adapt for about 150 years, and of course we have constantly meddled with them as well, which i am sure has slowed their adaptations. As nothing "Man" does ever really works well. Keep in mind 150 years is NOTHING in the life cycle of evolution. Not to mention we keep bees in un-natural boxes. there is NOTHING natural about keeping bees in boxes, topbar hives OR Langs.
So what i am getting at is YES our bees AT TIMES do need our help. After all don't we have an obligation to them since we removed them from their home country and brought them here?
Here is an article that was posted on Bee-L i found an interesting read...
ITALIAN BEES.
During the early part of last year the Commissioner of Patents at Washington authorized Mr. S. B. Parsons, of Long Island, N. Y., to proceed to Italy, and inquire into the habits of Italian bees, and if, upon investigation, he found them possessing qualities of value which our native bees do not possess, to procure a certain number of swarms and send them to the Patent Office.
He entered upon the duties assigned him, and arrived in the country of the Italian Lakes in April, 1859. After wandering about among the hills of that delightful region for some months, his researches were arrested by the approach of hostile armies, and he was not able to resume them until the following September, when he met an intelligent Bavarian who had established himself in the Grisons, and had devoted himself to the culture of pure Italian bees.
The result of his researches convinced him that these bees possess qualities superior to those of our own, and he ordered for the Department to the full amount which he was authorized to expend, and directed them to be sent by the Arago on the 18th of October from Havre, but by some unaccountable delay they were not shipped until December 28th, from Genoa.
In his investigations, Mr. Parsons says he came to the following conclusions in relation to the Italian bees:
1. That they will endure the cold better than ours.
2. That they swarm twice as often.
3. That they are abundantly more prolific.
4. That the working bees begin to forage earlier, and are more industrious.
5. That they are less apt to sting, and may be easily tamed by kind treatment.
6. That the queen may be so educated as to lay her eggs in any hive in which she is placed, while the bees of such a hive, deprived of their ownqueen, will readily receive her.
7. That its proboscis is longer, and it can reach the depths of flowers which are entirely beyond the efforts of the common bee.
8. That a young queen, once impregnated, will continue fertile during her life—from four to seven years. This quality will insure pure broods, till the whole country is fllled with them.
9. That they are far more brave and active than the common bee; will fight with great fierceness, and more effectually keep the moth out of the hive.
Having read the statement of Mr. Parsons, and learning that Mr. Brackett, of Winchester, in this State, a gentleman who has gained some celebrity as a'skillful cultivator of several varieties of grapes,—had introduced the Italian bee into his colonies, we visited his place a few days since, and examined both bees and grapes for ourselves. In the midst of his delightful retreat, surrounded on all sides but the south by the natural forest, he nestles on the hillside with his pleasant family, his forcing houses, grapes, and other plants, and his twenty odd swarms of bees! He is full of zeal in regard to them all,—and that zeal is so admirably tempered with knowledge, that one cannot fail to gather valuable suggestions upon any of his favorite topics. Mr. Brackett was early called into consultation with Mr. Parsons, and one or two other distinguished apiarians, in regard to the course to be pursued with the Italian bees, and as a part of the policy he has introduced eight pure queens into his colonies, having first by a most ingenious device driven all the drones, or males, of the common bee from his hives. The queen of the common bee and the drone brood being taken away, and a new Italian queen introduced, the natural work was at once entered upon of forming new queen and brood cells, so that the eggs deposited by the new queen would produce the pure Italian bee!
From the experience thus far gained, Mr. Brackett is inclined to confirm the statements made by Mr. Parsons. He thinks their merits have not been overrated, and states that they are more easily managed, and less sensitive to cold than our bees.
From a little work by H. C. Hermann, the Bavarian referred to above, we learn tjiat the yellow, Italian bee is a mountain insect; it is found between two mountain chains, to the right and left of Lombardy and the Rhetian Alps, and comprises the whole territory of Tessir, Veltlin and South Graubunden. It thrives up to the height of 4500 feet above the level of the sea, and appears to prefer the northern clime to the warmer, for in the south of Italy it is not found.
It differs from our common black bee in its longer, slender form, and light chrome-yellow color, with brimstone-colored wings, and two orangered girths, each one-sixth of an inch wide. Working bees as well as drones have this mark. The drones are further distinguished by the girths being scolloped, like the spotted water-serpent, and attain an astonishing size; almost half as corpulent again as the black drones. The queen has the same marks as the working bees, but much more conspicuous, and lighter; she is much larger than the black queen, and easy to be singled out of the swarm on account of her remarkable bodily size and light color.
We engaged with Mr. Brackett in some manipulations, such as taking out the queen bee and a drone or two for examination, and peeping into some of the nuclei which he is forming.
The New England farmer, Volume 12. September 1860
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)