Any Bees Here?

[30WCF]

I’ve been keeping some bees for several years.

Had a hive swarm up into a tree about 30’ high. It took them almost 2 days to go into their new home.

 

[30WCF]

After lunch I came home and there was a second swarm in a smaller tree. I put a box under them and they were still sitting outside when it got dark.

 

[stoveliker]

We always listened to the sounds young queens make when almost coming out of their cells. Then we would break open the cells in the evening and have a lattice in front of the opening so they could not swarm, and then let them battle it out overnight. The strongest queen wins.

And if we wanted a second colony, we would seek out the old queen right before the new ones appear and put them in a new box.

 

[30WCF]

Yeah. I got a little behind on management this year. I’ll let things settle then combine them back probably to make honey hives.

 

[begreen]

That's some pretty clever swarm collecting! I used to keep bees. Loved them, but got tired and too sad loosing hives. I collected several swarms back then including one up about 25' in a big fir tree. That was a bear of a task. I had to go up to the full height of my extension ladder, bouncing on the branches, while steadying a box on my head with one hand and using a pole to nudge them down into the box.

 

[Prometeo]

I'm trying, I'm creating a pleasant area for them, to pollinate fruit trees, however the bees seem more interested in the flowers of the brambles, and I don't understand why

 

[stoveliker]

Probably because there are more of them. Easier than a few isolated flowers elsewhere

 

[EbS-P]

Popped upon my feed yesterday.

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I’ll add bee keeping to a list of things I want to do but don’t have time for.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I got stung by one that got stuck in the neck of my hoodie while driving. Does that count? Lol. The world is waking up after winter!

 

[30WCF]

Swarms are usually super docile and easy to handle. When they have a big hive with lots of resources, they seem to get a little more cranky, especially when there isn’t a nectar flow mid/late summer.

 

[30WCF]

I'm trying, I'm creating a pleasant area for them, to pollinate fruit trees, however the bees seem more interested in the flowers of the brambles, and I don't understand why

I have apple trees they like. The dirt road behind me is usually loaded with black berries too. They love the black berries.

 

[stoveliker]

New swarms have their bellies full (one looses a lot of honey when they swarm), so they're easy going. But a 3 day old swarm is cranky as hell. At least that's been my experience.
So better to get them as soon as you see one.

 

[begreen]

I'm trying, I'm creating a pleasant area for them, to pollinate fruit trees, however the bees seem more interested in the flowers of the brambles, and I don't understand why

You'll find that honeybees have specific tastes. They love plants with strong essential oils like mints, lavender, thyme, oregano, sage, chives, garlic chives, etc. Our property has been planted with this in mind so that they have food from spring through fall. When our eucalyptus is in bloom, every honeybee in a 3 mile radius knows it and shows up for the feast. You can hear the tree buzzing then.

 

[30WCF]

Well, since Thursday they haven’t moved in yet. This morning it took about 5-6 times of rattling the pole bucket on the bottom of the branch and dumping them in, then they started marching in. I set them up under the tree for now until they all go in, and then I’ll move them sometime. It looks promising right now. Only a handful are clinging onto the tree branch now.

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[stoveliker]

If the handful is not getting more in 30 minutes you have the queen in the box. That handful is just smelling the remnant queen scent up there and will move.to the box soon.

 

[begreen]

This lady beekeeper amazes and inspires. She runs Texas Beeworks and has saved many hives. She usually works without protection. There are several videos of her rescuing a hive, sometimes in odd locations. This one is from a compost bin.

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This reminds me of our house. We had a hive in a wall when we moved in.

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