- Thread starter
- #71
Happy Chooks
Loving the herd life
That would be something to see.
Hive inspection and box reversal
- Thread starter Happy Chooks
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #72
Happy Chooks
Loving the herd life
I think my queen was on a mating flight today. I was watching the entrance at the split, and everything was calm. Then a drone flew to the entrance and the mood of the bees changed instantly. There was a lot of drone activity (more than usual), both going in and out of the hive. Similar drone activity on my main hive too.
YAY! couple more days and she'll be laying! I'd be wanting to sneak a peek inside soooooooooo bad right now!
- Thread starter
- #74
Happy Chooks
Loving the herd life
I'm going to peek inside the main hive instead. I need to see how they are storing honey, and make sure the queen has room to lay.
Maggiesdad
Loving the herd life
No peeky on the virgin hive. Pheromone balance is more tenuous. Trust and obey, lol .
14 days then look for brood.
14 days then look for brood.
- Thread starter
- #76
Happy Chooks
Loving the herd life
Darn it, I can't check my main hive. It's raining! Arrrgh! All the nectar just being washed away.
I hope my queen in the split had a successful mating flight and is in there laying eggs.
I hope my queen in the split had a successful mating flight and is in there laying eggs.
Maggiesdad
Loving the herd life
Send me some rain... we need to keep the clovers blooming! 
Made my splits and placed the queen cells yesterday - mixed origin combines (from three different hives), and open brood to hold them tight. Both nucs were foraging back pollen today after morning orientation flights.
Here we goooooo!
If this works I'll have 8 hives.
Made my splits and placed the queen cells yesterday - mixed origin combines (from three different hives), and open brood to hold them tight. Both nucs were foraging back pollen today after morning orientation flights.
Here we goooooo!
If this works I'll have 8 hives.
Bit of an over achiever aye? Way to go! Hope it all works out for you. I was thinking I'd like more hives, but then I don't even know what I'm doing with the first two!! No idea how I'd manage more than that (at this point). Also I'm a little bummed as the nearest farmers to me all planted corn
I'd hoped that they would have planted something like melons or squash... Phooey! Now I don't know if 2 hives here is enough, not enough, or too much... Guess time will tell.- Thread starter
- #79
Happy Chooks
Loving the herd life
Go Maggiesdad! I'll be interested to see how they all come out of winter. 
If they all do, you are going to have a boatload of honey next year.
I like to learn small scale, then expand. Plus, I have kids that keep me plenty busy. I don't want too much money in something stupid I do. But if both my hives come through winter fine, then I'll have 2 for honey harvest next year!
If they all do, you are going to have a boatload of honey next year.I like to learn small scale, then expand. Plus, I have kids that keep me plenty busy. I don't want too much money in something stupid I do. But if both my hives come through winter fine, then I'll have 2 for honey harvest next year!
Maggiesdad
Loving the herd life
@Latestarter - Yup! If it doesn't work out, I'll just do combines to lay on stores for the winter. This first year is all about the wax.
@Happy Chooks - Boatloads are good, but I doubt that will happen! Remember, my Langs are going to be my honey making baseline... the topbars, well, I'll let you know how they do.
Supposedly you can run them for honey, or run them for bees. They can be bee making machines in the right situations. I do plan on building up two 4 or 5 footers to see how much honey they will put out.
As for overwintering, the numbers say they aren't all going to make it. And if I stay treatment free, the numbers are even more grim. So that's why numbers (as in quantities of bees) are my friend!
Anyhow, the TBHs are where my experimenting will be. I can build four of them for what one Langstroth w/ supers, frames and foundation cost... and that's with storebought lumber. With scrap and salvage stuff I can build them cheaper than that. So the main outlay is the feed for getting the combs built up, since the TBH is always starting from foundationless.
Time will tell. They can do a lot of building between now and the end of September.
@Happy Chooks - Boatloads are good, but I doubt that will happen! Remember, my Langs are going to be my honey making baseline... the topbars, well, I'll let you know how they do.
Supposedly you can run them for honey, or run them for bees. They can be bee making machines in the right situations. I do plan on building up two 4 or 5 footers to see how much honey they will put out. As for overwintering, the numbers say they aren't all going to make it. And if I stay treatment free, the numbers are even more grim. So that's why numbers (as in quantities of bees) are my friend!
Anyhow, the TBHs are where my experimenting will be. I can build four of them for what one Langstroth w/ supers, frames and foundation cost... and that's with storebought lumber. With scrap and salvage stuff I can build them cheaper than that. So the main outlay is the feed for getting the combs built up, since the TBH is always starting from foundationless.
Time will tell. They can do a lot of building between now and the end of September.
