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bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
I only put out one flow box (have two)- and the bees have finished out the wax and quite a few cells capped. I'll probably be able to get first harvest in the next few weeks, at least from the middle frames.
I'm at a bit of disadvantage, since I lost some hives due to the drought. I installed some new nucs this last weekend, but I'm not expecting anything from those hives, other than to just grow and thrive this year.
I don't think I've seen a wet-looking frame. Maybe the bees in NorCal just do it differently? Hard to say.But all the queens are locally-bred.
Here's what one of my full honey frames looks like (minus the parts I ate
): Most of my honey frames have that "wet" look you see throughout. I confess that when I saw your photo, I also said to myself "that's a nice brood pattern".
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Maybe my bees are more lazy and don't bother filling the cell before capping? "Yeah, we're good here."
That particular hive has a double brood box, with the second one more honey than brood. The box above is all honey. And mostly looks like the pic I shared.
I'm wondering if they cap earlier because it's pretty low humidity here & the honey was just ready to cap before the cell was topped off. Yours are overflowing!
That particular hive has a double brood box, with the second one more honey than brood. The box above is all honey. And mostly looks like the pic I shared.
I'm wondering if they cap earlier because it's pretty low humidity here & the honey was just ready to cap before the cell was topped off. Yours are overflowing!
Dry or wet frames may be more related to climate than genetics. Just a guess though.
I haven't seen many honeybees around here this year, but they might have been pushed out by bumblebees. Last weekend we discovered a giant bumblebee nest under our deck. The last few years I've seen a lot of honey bees around and I suspect there are some wild hives in the woods near here.
I haven't seen many honeybees around here this year, but they might have been pushed out by bumblebees. Last weekend we discovered a giant bumblebee nest under our deck. The last few years I've seen a lot of honey bees around and I suspect there are some wild hives in the woods near here.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
One of the more colorful frames I've come across ('scuse the resolution, was a quick shot with my phone ... )
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Yep. I suspect the wide variety of colors is because of the two acres of wildflowers I've seeded over the last year. They have a lot to choose from.
The 'Radiant Red' is the only bad one there - from the California Buckeye. It's toxic to the bees in high quantities. I've removed all the buckeye from my property, but it probably wouldn't be good form to mow down the neighbors' trees.
Good news is it's present in a low enough quantity that it's not a problem. If there was a lot of it, I'd be removing it from the frame.
I've just read a bunch about the California Buckeye. Very fascinating! I had no idea it was toxic.
I may not sleep tonight... The further I go down the rabbit hole, the more fascinating it gets!
Sick Bees – Part 18F2: Colony Collapse Revisited – Plant Allelochemicals @ Scientific Beekeeping
Sick Bees – Part 18F2: Colony Collapse Revisited – Plant Allelochemicals @ Scientific Beekeeping
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Ah, that beekeeper lives just over the hill from me - I wanted some of his queens this year, but he didn't have any. He's been breeding mite-resistant colonies. He's def an asset to the community.
Part of the problem is that the buckeye is in the group of 'first to blossom' in the spring, so the bee don't have a lot of choice in this area. That's why I watch just how much buckeye pollen sneaks into the hive. Last year was bad, there wasn't a lot of alternative pollen - I cut out a bunch.
This year is def a better outcome & I suspect an outcome of the large amount of wildflower seed I put down last fall. I also stopped mowing anywhere there was clover so that it was flowering at about the same time. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I think alternative food sources is the best way to combat, plus being ready to remove buckeye pollen when it is the majority stored.
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Couldn't help notice this thread earlier, and couldn't help noticing this article.
Africanized bees in the SF area?
How bee rampage terrorized neighborhood, killed 2 dogs
Not a beekeeper myself...
Africanized bees in the SF area?
How bee rampage terrorized neighborhood, killed 2 dogs
Not a beekeeper myself...
muleferg
Active Member
Had lunch with the guy that started Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. He sold the company 1 yr ago and he told me the new owners were opening a location in Oregon. They have a factory here and build all the hives, frames etc. Check'em out.
They bought Ruhl Bee Supply in Oregon over a year ago. I got a catalog from Brushy Mountain a couple of days ago.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
I sold my hives before leaving California, keeping only a few hard-to-find and/or pricey woodenware. I bought some land overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and now working with an architect on house plans - there will be lots of nectar sources for the bees when I reestablish, but have to deal with the wind (there's a reason this is a destination for so many kiters/windsurfers).
I'm thinking a windbreak type of fence on three sides of the bee yard (big enough for 3-4 hives), with at least 3' clearance around. Hive entrances will be on a non-wind side. Thoughts from others?
I'm thinking a windbreak type of fence on three sides of the bee yard (big enough for 3-4 hives), with at least 3' clearance around. Hive entrances will be on a non-wind side. Thoughts from others?
Fortunately the wind is only predominantly from one direction. We get blasted here when storms come in during the winter. About half way through the first winter we had to move the welcome mats inside the doors. I got tired of having to go and find them in the backyard.
I don't know how close you are to the peach orchards, but there are some peach farms on the north side of the river. I don't recall where they are with respect to where you are. You do live just across the river from the largest fruit growing valley in Oregon. Every October I do the Fruit Loop and stock up on apples. I just ran out last week.
Of course there should be plenty of wild sources for pollen. You live in the middle of a National Scenic Area.
I don't know how close you are to the peach orchards, but there are some peach farms on the north side of the river. I don't recall where they are with respect to where you are. You do live just across the river from the largest fruit growing valley in Oregon. Every October I do the Fruit Loop and stock up on apples. I just ran out last week.
Of course there should be plenty of wild sources for pollen. You live in the middle of a National Scenic Area.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
And there are many, many fruit orchards on this side of the river, too. And wineries. Plus all the wild options. You're right - tons of options for the bees. I spent a lot of time in the past feeding bees and getting very little honey because of drought situations. I'm looking forward to dealing with new challenges, like wind.
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