Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas

Today I read that walnut sawdust may keep mites out of the hives. It will be interesting to pursue this topic as a natural solution such as that would be very welcome.  I wonder who would have some walnut trees that wlould let me saw of a couple of branches....?
Also in this mornings post was an item about a hive starving to death. I think I check my hives often enough that that won't happen. I will have to check the west hive more closely.
Oddly enough, it is only December 25 but it is already time to start thinking of next spring. I hd hoped to have my building assembled so I could store all my wooden wear there but it hasn't happened so far. I think i shall take off a month from everything and see if there enough nice days where I can do some ratcheting and screwing and assembling.
If I can get my wooden wear all organized I will have a better idea where I stand so I can look for swarms to capture. I want 2 or 3 more hives, as long as Jill can help, and see what the ranch can produce. With all the black berry bushes over there it should be able to produce a nice amount of honey from the old hive and get a new hive off to a great start.  I have even seriously considered contacting Kincade again to see about the clover.
I could leave a hive down there until the nectar stops flowing and then take it to the ranch. It "may" be pretty full then if he does plant the red clover and already has white clover.
We'll see.
First I need more colonies.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Bees and books

I thought I was finished with getting books for everybody for Christmas but after checking, I ain't. Now I have to go back and start a search for some ore books and the dept is in such disarray that it will be difficult. S A has received so many books lately that I haven't had time to organize all of them. We are over loaded at this time and, now we have more fiction that isn't romance.
Give that three big cheers.
So, high ho, it's off to books I go.
First I need to make a list of what I have...............
Later,

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

More stuff

It has been more than a month since the last entry. I have not been idle I just haven't used what few opportunities I had to blog.  It has been colder than a Republican's heart at the sight of a homeless person caused by Repubs economic policies. I have been worried about the bees as i didn't think I had a complete understanding of all I should do.
Last night at the NEOBA meeting I got to talk to two experts and got the advice I needed.
Today I put an entrance reducer on both hives because of the guard bees. They will die as they stand guard in the cold. By reducing the opening it reduces the area they have to guard thus- fewer guard bees and fewer dying.
Makes sense to me so I did it.
I talked to Carl who told me to take off the supers I still had on the hives. I also did that today and only got stung once by the mean hive. Those little girls are always mean. I lifted the back of the hive to see the weight so I could guess as to how much honey they had for them. I could not lift it from where I was standing so I have to assume they have plenty.
The other hive is in the shade too long so I really should move them except I don't know about moving them in the winter. I'll ask Greg 1st chance I get.
I put sugar/bee candy in the west hive and they were all over it before I could reassemble the hive. I did not try to lift their hive as one sting a day is enough.
Next spring I am either going to split a hive or buy another
or both.

Tomorrow--- all the excitement about books.
Oh, the bee meeting was so boring and I had learned a lot so i left early. Carl and I went out to his truck to get the candy and fructose and were almost trampled by people leaving.