Killing Small Hive Beetles

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Jason

This is one of my quilt boxes spending its 48 hour cycle time in the freezer. Right next to the walnuts and shredded zucchini.

Recently there was a tense situation on our little homestead.  As mentioned previously I am coming to grips with the fact that I have Small Hive Beetle at one of my hive sites.  I know that eventually they will be at all my sties, but I would like to retard their progress for as long as possible.  When I removed my Quilt Boxes from that site I placed them in Contractor Grade trash bags.  I have been cycling them through the freezer, each getting a 48 hour freezer session.  It is the  same treatment I give all of my empty honey supers to prevent wax moths. Continue reading →

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We’ve got Drones!!!!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Jason

Finally at long last drones are buzzing loudly around my house and hives!!!!  Last Friday (the 13th) after getting home from work I observed them.   It won’t be long before swarming will start around here.

A bunch of traps were placed over the weekend.    It seems like I am so far behind, but they are up almost a full month earlier than last year.  My phone has been ringing almost daily from fellow beekeepers telling me that their hives are swarming.  None of mine have swarmed as far as I know.  Ten to twelve more traps will be hanging by Friday.  I hope I don’t miss too many. Continue reading →

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Finally got a couple of traps up.

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Jason

I have been away from bee duties for much of the last week building a large run for our chickens to keep them out of this years garden.  Along with finishing that up, two swarm traps were deployed Trap01 and Trap10.  Trap01 is in a promising untested spot, and Trap10 a reliable place that caught two colonies last year.

Loaded Swarm Traps

Loaded traps ready to go out this weekend. My lilac bush is blooming in the background inside the new chicken run.

Several other traps were readied for deployment this weekend and have been staged on our outdoor garden sink.  I have been following a thread in the forums over at beesource.com – Please Post your Swarm Dates.  There have been swarms reported in Indiana so traps need to be up.  If you are interested in trapping swarms or getting prepared to retrieve them, that thread is a useful tool.  There are knowledgeable and helpful people involved with the beesource forums so be sure to check it out. Continue reading →

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2012 Has Officially Begun

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Jason

During the course of the last two weeks I have opened all of my hives.  I went into winter with fourteen, and have come out the other end with eleven.  The colonies that didn’t make it appear to have starved.  All hives were changed to a three deep configuration.  I am doing some experimentation this year.  Some standard boxes have been loaded with follower boards and only 8 frames.  Some hives were given top entrances.  I have read good things of both, but I must find out for myself.  Langstroth in The Hive and the Honey Bee speaks of duplicating other’s experiments.  I think it’s a good idea. Continue reading →

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Southeastern Indiana Beekeepers Association

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Jason

I attended a meeting of the Southeastern Indiana Beekeepers Association (www.indianahoney.org) last week.  I must admit I was skeptical about going.  I have spent my most of my life avoiding clubs and associations.  It would have been a shame to have missed this.  The meeting was led by a man named Jim and was in an open forum fashion, “this is what I am doing, do you think I did the right thing?  If not, what would you do differently and why?”  It was refreshing.  Some individuals were doing some of the same things that I have been experimenting with.  There was a lot of beekeeping experience and wisdom in the room.  Many of the people attending had been in their hives earlier in the week and were reporting drone brood, some drones walking around on comb, and even one account of some queen cups being present. Continue reading →

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Where do bees come from?

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Jason

Most people when questioned about where bees come from would reply that bees come as packages or as nucs.  Have you ever asked what had to happen to get those bees to your apiary?  I know I didn’t.  I feel that this disconnect from the process, similar to most peoples disconnect from food production allows us to blindly overlook how we treat the life forms we are depending on.

So by what method DO those bees arrive on your doorstep?  How do they get bees into those little boxes?  Well here are a couple of videos that show how package bees are put in those little boxes. Continue reading →

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Surprise

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jason

Today the temp here is supposed to have made it to 66F.  Birds are returning, the tulips are popping out of the ground, spring is coming!  I checked in on Hive Site 5 on the way home from work.  I hadn’t visited since I put on the Quilt Boxes and placed snow fence last fall on 10/25/11.  Both hives had been trapped very late in the season and I figured they had virtually no chance of overwintering.  Hive 1111 was trapped on 7/25/11 and hived 8/4/11.  Hive 1110 was trapped on 7/30/11 and Hived 8/4/11.  Both went into winter without a full second deep.  I didn’t open any boxes, but it appeared to be normal hive activity and not robbing.  There is still a chance that I could lose them, but I am happy that they have made it thus far.  Several of the hives I thought were doomed last fall are still hanging on.  Now if we can just get some blooms.

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Addition to Spots Post

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Jason

A recent comment from one of my YouTube videos made me realize that I had neglected

This is a trap close to my apiary getting scouting interest.

to list a very important SPOT for swarm traps.  It is just one of those things that I took so much for granted that I didn’t even think to include it.  I am sorry, I must be more thorough.  One final spot to place traps is around your own apiaries.   Currently I do ½- 1-1/2 miles from my hives.  I am doing more experimenting this year so I hope to know more about it by July or August.  I have heard stories from beekeepers of dead-outs that were occupied within their own apiary, but I have never witnessed it.

I would like to give credit to the texasrepper2 on YouTube for bringing this to my attention.  Thank you.

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Looking for Spots

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Jason
Trap 13

This trapping SPOT fit the pattern of being in a location near a river.

This is the time of year that we should be thinking of swarm trap locations for the coming season.  Even if your traps aren’t made yet.  Over the last several days though involved with things totally unrelated to bees, I was given permission for two new trapping locations.  Ask neighbors, friends and acquaintances who live in areas that might be promising.

A group of consistently promising locations in my area have been uninterrupted drainages.  I live close to several large creeks, and small rivers in eastern Indiana.  I don’t know if it is really the rivers or the fact that the waterways provide miles and miles of uninterrupted tree line.  Landowners are more likely to leave trees alone because they are a hard to access.  I have seen bees in sycamore, locust and several other species of tree.  Perhaps it may have something to do with the bees being able to find trees large enough to have suitable cavities within.  As with all living things a little habitat increases the chances of bees being in an area.  All in all the reason doesn’t matter to me, bees are there so traps should be as well. Continue reading →

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Getting Framed

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Jason

Pneumatics are not essential, but they will save a lot of time.

Tis’ the season to be working on bee-ware.  Given the bad weather I took the opportunity to get some inside work done.  I caught up on some back episodes of The-Self-Sufficient Gardener Podcast which was nice.  The episode on Potatoes made me think of some parallels between the Irish Potato Famine and our current trials and tribulations with bees.  I will save that for a later post.

Instructions on frame construction have been done to death, and this guy from Australia’s video is good enough that I am not going to try duplicate it. Continue reading →

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