I have finished a cupla books but the one I just read was the better. TRAFALGAR, the story of Nelson's sea victory over the French and English. You would have to read it but I am not as convinced as i was previously that Nelson had any more to do with the battle than the weather or Napoleon's total incompetence.
In any event, it was a good read.
As it is very cold here I was advised, and did, close off most of the opening to the bee hives. I was told that the guard bees would die and by closing, it would cut down on the number of guards the bees kept. Shorter space, less need. So maybe I'll have enough in the spring to start a couple of strong hives.
I am hoping to obtain at least one more hive but would prefer two more hives. I know i could do one more here and I know I can do two more at the cabin. Two more there would be good as they would have lots of forage room over there.
There are flowering bushes, berries, alfalfa and who knows what else where they can buzz to their hearts delight.
I did bee candy in the west hive and still have sugar water in the pink hive. I will change from 2:1 to 1:1 about the end of January.
Bee club meet tomorrow night and Greg is the presenter. Should be worth going to.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
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.
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,
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.
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.
Monday, November 15, 2010
More food, feeding & school
I did three bee programs at two elementary schools. The poorest school's students paid closer attention than the Yuppie class school kids. Wonder what can be made from that... Anyway, I took a jar of live bees as I had no demonstration hive. It was a big hit as every kid could hold it, if he/she wanted, and get a very close look at bees.
The odd thing was that I had several when I went to the far away school and I left them in the jar in the garage overnight. The next day i remembered them and they were not happy with me. I took them out and placed them on a stand close to their hive. The angry buzzing they made as I took off the lid let me know that I shouldn't tarry and spend much time explaining.
So i did a few bees when I went to the very close elementary school. I caught the bees just before i left and took them back immediately after returning home. All but one bee had died. I don't even have a theory as to why unless some third grader put a hex on them.
I enjoyed showing and talking to the kids and may do it some more.
Today I had enough sugar to mix up 2.5 gallons of sugar-water feed. It should be cooled off by now so I better had go feed before they all die.
The odd thing was that I had several when I went to the far away school and I left them in the jar in the garage overnight. The next day i remembered them and they were not happy with me. I took them out and placed them on a stand close to their hive. The angry buzzing they made as I took off the lid let me know that I shouldn't tarry and spend much time explaining.
So i did a few bees when I went to the very close elementary school. I caught the bees just before i left and took them back immediately after returning home. All but one bee had died. I don't even have a theory as to why unless some third grader put a hex on them.
I enjoyed showing and talking to the kids and may do it some more.
Today I had enough sugar to mix up 2.5 gallons of sugar-water feed. It should be cooled off by now so I better had go feed before they all die.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Feeding & feeding and feeding
Dang bees are hungry. I have to give one hive a quart of sugar-water a day and the other hive gets a gallon or more a week. I need another gallon feeder so I wouldn't have to keep running out everyday fixing the west hive's jar.
I got two gallons and a couple of quarts this harvest. It was a heckuva lot of work for that amount but every recipient has appreciated it. Hopefully, next year will be better. I want to add at least one hive and if I do it early enough, they may be able to produce.
Next thing is hive beetle control. I must do something about that by next week as the next few weeks may be awfully busy.
The Jones hive is doing well I think. Jilleroo is taking care of them. We are in a partnership that we both enjoy. OK, I know I enjoy it and she seems to. Now if she just could get super educated about bees it would help. Being way younger she still has a brain (and a very good one) so she can remember the important stuff.
Friday I am to do two programs at an elementary school in Tulsa about bees. I'll take a complete hive equipment without bees and carry a jar full of bees. I had a demonstration hive borrowed but that fell through. The hive parts were falling apart and it wasn't safe to take into an elementary school. So-- I'll wing it.
I'll get it all together and then plan on time. 2nd grade and a fifth grade. Probably 30 min at most.
I'll let you know.
I got two gallons and a couple of quarts this harvest. It was a heckuva lot of work for that amount but every recipient has appreciated it. Hopefully, next year will be better. I want to add at least one hive and if I do it early enough, they may be able to produce.
Next thing is hive beetle control. I must do something about that by next week as the next few weeks may be awfully busy.
The Jones hive is doing well I think. Jilleroo is taking care of them. We are in a partnership that we both enjoy. OK, I know I enjoy it and she seems to. Now if she just could get super educated about bees it would help. Being way younger she still has a brain (and a very good one) so she can remember the important stuff.
Friday I am to do two programs at an elementary school in Tulsa about bees. I'll take a complete hive equipment without bees and carry a jar full of bees. I had a demonstration hive borrowed but that fell through. The hive parts were falling apart and it wasn't safe to take into an elementary school. So-- I'll wing it.
I'll get it all together and then plan on time. 2nd grade and a fifth grade. Probably 30 min at most.
I'll let you know.
Friday, October 22, 2010
How sweet it is!
Finally the big day arrived. I had given up on helping someone so I could learn how to extract and decided to do it myself. I reckoned that it was not rocket science but whatever it was, I would make several mistakes anyway. So I looked on the Internet and watched a video or three and started getting everything ready.
Naturally, whenever I either get ready or start to do things, there are untold interruptions. I dealt with those and got my jars ready to boil. That only took about three times longer than it would a normal person. I boiled jars until they all screamed in surrender. I boiled jars until they all screamed in surrender.
I had taken the supers off the two hives and had checked them earlier. I sat them on flat boards with plywood covering the top so whatever bees were buzzing around couldn't get in. I had covered and placed newspapers on & under before placing the wood on/under them.
After boiling the jars I went back out and discovered one of the super boxes was not flat and bees were coming and going just like normal. Now having bees in your extracting area fighting you for the honey is not my idea of a grand ol' time so i fixed that and went back in the house. I tried to get everything in the garage setup so I would be ready when the bees were cleared from the frames in the supers.
I took my leaf blower and blew out bees from the pink hive super frames. It worked fairly well altho the bees could hold on even in a 200 MPH wind. But... I did get most of them gone.
Lo! and BEHOLD! lightning started flashing and it was getting one towards dark. The two supers from the ..old hive were still full of bees. I was less successful on getting rid of them than the pink hive. So- I decided to wait.
I arranged a place to put the frames until I could start the extraction. Then it started raining and I knew that if I chased the bees out in the rain they would probably die. I had to wait until the next morning so I made a space between the hives so the bees could escape and go home.
That must have worked as the next morning there were almost no bees in any of the supers. I brushed them away with the bee brush very early the next morning while they were still yawning.
Then I made an unnecessary trip for jar lids, as it turned out, and had everything ready. There are some people, or maybe at least one person, in the world who is more messy than me. That is possible but not entirely true.
I cut the tops off and honey ran all over everything - or so it seemed. I had to scrape the knife constantly to get off the wax & honey. I kept the knife in hot water while not using it so it would cut through the wax better.
The pink hive frames were not as full as the old (west) hive's frames so cutting them was a major pain. I worked until quite late and gave up for the evening. I started again early the next morning getting the hives outside checked to make sure they were in the proper configuration and everything was fine. Then I started again.
I cut the "caps" off both sides of the frames of honey, doing two frames and then placed them in the extractor. It is a large, galvanized cylinder that has a wire basket inside. A handle is placed on the top cross bar on the gears. You spin the basket with the frames in it so as to force out the honey. After about the tenth frame it becomes a little harder as it is hard to get started. After about two minutes of spinning it starts to become easier as the honey is thrown out. Then you turn the frames around with the other side out and start spinning again. This takes time. Lots of it. Next year I will have a much better idea of what to do and possibly what not to do.
Wednesday morning I started to fill containers. I had much more honey than I thought I would which is a YAHOOO thing. I won't have enough to sell this year but it looks promising for next year. If all three hives produce we should have a little left over for selling.
No, I think I will split one hive and buy another. That would be two hives producing honey and three hives to grow. Then the next year there would be five hives to produce honey.
Unless I decide to split another hive.
How sweet it is!
Naturally, whenever I either get ready or start to do things, there are untold interruptions. I dealt with those and got my jars ready to boil. That only took about three times longer than it would a normal person. I boiled jars until they all screamed in surrender. I boiled jars until they all screamed in surrender.
I had taken the supers off the two hives and had checked them earlier. I sat them on flat boards with plywood covering the top so whatever bees were buzzing around couldn't get in. I had covered and placed newspapers on & under before placing the wood on/under them.
After boiling the jars I went back out and discovered one of the super boxes was not flat and bees were coming and going just like normal. Now having bees in your extracting area fighting you for the honey is not my idea of a grand ol' time so i fixed that and went back in the house. I tried to get everything in the garage setup so I would be ready when the bees were cleared from the frames in the supers.
I took my leaf blower and blew out bees from the pink hive super frames. It worked fairly well altho the bees could hold on even in a 200 MPH wind. But... I did get most of them gone.
Lo! and BEHOLD! lightning started flashing and it was getting one towards dark. The two supers from the ..old hive were still full of bees. I was less successful on getting rid of them than the pink hive. So- I decided to wait.
I arranged a place to put the frames until I could start the extraction. Then it started raining and I knew that if I chased the bees out in the rain they would probably die. I had to wait until the next morning so I made a space between the hives so the bees could escape and go home.
That must have worked as the next morning there were almost no bees in any of the supers. I brushed them away with the bee brush very early the next morning while they were still yawning.
Then I made an unnecessary trip for jar lids, as it turned out, and had everything ready. There are some people, or maybe at least one person, in the world who is more messy than me. That is possible but not entirely true.
I cut the tops off and honey ran all over everything - or so it seemed. I had to scrape the knife constantly to get off the wax & honey. I kept the knife in hot water while not using it so it would cut through the wax better.
The pink hive frames were not as full as the old (west) hive's frames so cutting them was a major pain. I worked until quite late and gave up for the evening. I started again early the next morning getting the hives outside checked to make sure they were in the proper configuration and everything was fine. Then I started again.
I cut the "caps" off both sides of the frames of honey, doing two frames and then placed them in the extractor. It is a large, galvanized cylinder that has a wire basket inside. A handle is placed on the top cross bar on the gears. You spin the basket with the frames in it so as to force out the honey. After about the tenth frame it becomes a little harder as it is hard to get started. After about two minutes of spinning it starts to become easier as the honey is thrown out. Then you turn the frames around with the other side out and start spinning again. This takes time. Lots of it. Next year I will have a much better idea of what to do and possibly what not to do.
Wednesday morning I started to fill containers. I had much more honey than I thought I would which is a YAHOOO thing. I won't have enough to sell this year but it looks promising for next year. If all three hives produce we should have a little left over for selling.
No, I think I will split one hive and buy another. That would be two hives producing honey and three hives to grow. Then the next year there would be five hives to produce honey.
Unless I decide to split another hive.
How sweet it is!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)