Last weekend I performed the first in-depth inspections of hives in the apiary. Thanks to cold weather and a spring vacation I'm about a month behind where I should be in hive maintenance. The big leaf maple is in full bloom–about three weeks later than when it started last year. I also moved two hives to our place down at Hartstene Island.
Hive 1– This time last year Hive 1 was limping along with less than 5000 bees. Thanks to the varroa mite management I did last year, there's at least 10 times that number as both deeps and a western are full of bees. I started this hive with a Carniolan queen four years ago. I've tried requeening with an Italian queen several times since, but given this year's rapid buildup in population, I'm pretty sure this still a Carniolan hive. I added a super on Monday the 20th–a week later I saw that the bees had put away about seven pounds of uncapped honey. I'm planning to split this hive in a couple of weeks once the maple nectar flow is finished.
Hive 2–This hive is nearly dead with less than a hundred bees left. As I was re-stacking the boxes last weekend I found the queen on the inner cover with just one attendant (see photo). I couldn't see any signs of varroa or other disease in the hive, so I think problem is probably the queen herself–she's just not laying. I'll use this hive for the split with Hive 1 next month.
Hive 3–Has nearly 10 frames full of bees and lots of capped brood that extends down into the bottom deep. The laying pattern in the top box seems a little erratic and unorganized. I dusted the top bars with powdered sugar last night and replaced the drone frame trap that was nearly full and sent it to the freezer.
Hive 4–Moved to Hartstene Island on Saturday. This hive is in good shape, with lots of capped brood and an active queen. Installed a new screen bottom for this hive.
Hive 5–Moved to Hartstene two weeks ago. This hive was a swarm remnant from last July that to my surprise made it through the winter. These bees have drawn out about six frames–hopefully in the next week or two I can add a second deep with undrawn foundation.
Traveling Bees
Moving a beehive is a fairly straight-forward process. All you really need is a strap (the kind that won’t slip under tension), a means to close the front entrance of the hive without suffocating the bees inside, and someone to help you lift the hive into the back of a pickup.
Several years ago I inherited several hives from the estate of a longtime beekeeper that included special bottoms for moving bees. The bottoms are designed so that you can easily run a strap under the hive. And just above the entrance, which can be closed off with a piece of wood, is a ventilation slot with mesh screen small enough so that bees can’t slip through. It’s a neat setup that’s as about as beetight as you can get.
Spring Rush and Traveling Bees
Last weekend I performed the first in-depth inspections of hives in the apiary. Thanks to cold weather and a spring vacation I'm about a month behind where I should be in hive maintenance. The big leaf maple is in full bloom–about three weeks later than when it started last year. I also moved two hives to our place down at Hartstene Island.
Hive 1– This time last year Hive 1 was limping along with less than 5000 bees. Thanks to the varroa mite management I did last year, there's at least 10 times that number as both deeps and a western are full of bees. I started this hive with a Carniolan queen four years ago. I've tried requeening with an Italian queen several times since, but given this year's rapid buildup in population, I'm pretty sure this still a Carniolan hive. I added a super on Monday the 20th–a week later I saw that the bees had put away about seven pounds of uncapped honey. I'm planning to split this hive in a couple of weeks once the maple nectar flow is finished.
Hive 2–This hive is nearly dead with less than a hundred bees left. As I was re-stacking the boxes last weekend I found the queen on the inner cover with just one attendant (see photo). I couldn't see any signs of varroa or other disease in the hive, so I think problem is probably the queen herself–she's just not laying. I'll use this hive for the split with Hive 1 next month.
Hive 3–Has nearly 10 frames full of bees and lots of capped brood that extends down into the bottom deep. The laying pattern in the top box seems a little erratic and unorganized. I dusted the top bars with powdered sugar last night and replaced the drone frame trap that was nearly full and sent it to the freezer.
Hive 4–Moved to Hartstene Island on Saturday. This hive is in good shape, with lots of capped brood and an active queen. Installed a new screen bottom for this hive.
Hive 5–Moved to Hartstene two weeks ago. This hive was a swarm remnant from last July that to my surprise made it through the winter. These bees have drawn out about six frames–hopefully in the next week or two I can add a second deep with undrawn foundation.
Moving a beehive is a fairly straight-forward process. All you really need is a strap (the kind that won’t slip under tension), a means to close the front entrance of the hive without suffocating the bees inside, and someone to help you lift the hive into the back of a pickup.
Traveling Bees
Several years ago I inherited several hives from the estate of a longtime beekeeper that included special bottoms for moving bees. The bottoms are designed so that you can easily run a strap under the hive. And just above the entrance, which can be closed off with a piece of wood, is a ventilation slot with mesh screen small enough so that bees can’t slip through. It’s a neat setup that’s as about as beetight as you can get.