TBH Bee Keepers

[lovemylegacy]

How close can you mow to the hives before suiting up?
How much wind is to much before opening the hive to feed?
I got my nucs installed a week ago.

If you can sit around your hive and they don't buzz you, it should be good. I have some hives they are pretty calm. One hive can get a little fussy, but no attcks while cutting grass

[lovemylegacy]

Weekend bump

[dxtbowhunter]

I just got done with the Penn State course.
Going in the hives this weekend.

[rjtkdplus]

Good plan.

I'm going to remove a hive from and old dilapidated house on Thursday. The owner mowed too close and they attacked him and several of his neighbors. Even killed one of the neighbor's dogs across the street 75 yards away! It was a small dog that couldn't get out of the small fenced front yard. Some bees really dislike mowers!

I posted some pics on the bee removal thread.

[lovemylegacy]

I just got done with the Penn State course.
Going in the hives this weekend.

How long did it take you to finish?

[dxtbowhunter]

How long did it take you to finish?

Maybe three hours. Didn't really time it.

[lovemylegacy]

Maybe three hours. Didn't really time it.

Ok thanx. Was it helpful? What did you learn?

[dxtbowhunter]

Ok thanx. Was it helpful? What did you learn?

I had been studying for a year prior to getting my first hives. I did learn some new stuff that I hadn't before. So I would say it was worth it.
One thing that I hadn't learned prior was when you're ready to replace your queen with a new queen. Take the old queen and pinch her then rub her face on the new Queen's Cage. This spreads her pheromones.

[lovemylegacy]

Thanx dxt, Im pondering taking the course

[dxtbowhunter]

Do it. I just got done with a short one on orchards.

[Witchgrass]

So this happened today.

Yesterday I picked up two new queens to split and requeen a hot hive of mine. I took a few frames of brood, stores, and two frames of bees from the hot hove and placed in a nuc. I had the new queen in a cage, and rubber banded her to the space between the frames. (This was after letting the bees sit without their queen for about 45 minutes or so). I wanted to leave the queen in the cage overnight and check on her the following morning.

Side note: I wear glasses and can see up close better without them, so I usually remove them while while wearing my suit.

So this morning I suited up,(removing my glasses) and set out to check on the queen, and if she was ok, Mark her, and release her into the hive.
I opened the Nuc and it appeared that the queen was being properly attended to.
Great. I’ll just mark her and turn her loose. I put the top back on the Nuc to keep the others from getting too excited. I Removed the cage and turned to my right and set her down on top of a hive beside me. I pulled out my pocket knife and was trying to remove the top of from the cage when the screen just flipped open......she immediately took flight and flew out of my site....
Well shoot..
I looked all around but really couldn’t see to well since I didn’t have my glasses on. I though I saw her land on the Nuc, but then disappeared again. I quickly removed the top off the Nuc thinking she might accidentally land on top of it. I sat there for a minute or three and looked all around for her. Finally, she did actually land back on top of the open Nuc, and crawled back down into the sea of bees waiting for her. I quickly put the top back on and called it a day. I’ll mark her another time.

[MASTERS]

So this happened today.

Yesterday I picked up two new queens to split and requeen a hot hive of mine. I took a few frames of brood, stores, and two frames of bees from the hot hove and placed in a nuc. I had the new queen in a cage, and rubber banded her to the space between the frames. (This was after letting the bees sit without their queen for about 45 minutes or so). I wanted to leave the queen in the cage overnight and check on her the following morning.

Side note: I wear glasses and can see up close better without them, so I usually remove them while while wearing my suit.

So this morning I suited up,(removing my glasses) and set out to check on the queen, and if she was ok, Mark her, and release her into the hive.
I opened the Nuc and it appeared that the queen was being properly attended to.
Great. I’ll just mark her and turn her loose. I put the top back on the Nuc to keep the others from getting too excited. I Removed the cage and turned to my right and set her down on top of a hive beside me. I pulled out my pocket knife and was trying to remove the top of from the cage when the screen just flipped open......she immediately took flight and flew out of my site....
Well shoot..
I looked all around but really couldn’t see to well since I didn’t have my glasses on. I though I saw her land on the Nuc, but then disappeared again. I quickly removed the top off the Nuc thinking she might accidentally land on top of it. I sat there for a minute or three and looked all around for her. Finally, she did actually land back on top of the open Nuc, and crawled back down into the sea of bees waiting for her. I quickly put the top back on and called it a day. I’ll mark her another time.

lol. I've been given near heart attacks like that before. $45 gone with the wind...



I usually leave a split queenless for a couple of days before introducing the new caged queen. The old queens pheromones exist throughout the hive on the eggs and larvae. It helps with acceptance rate, and remember just because she makes it a week they may still supersede her. If she makes the 4-5 week mark she'll likely be there till she swarms. Acceptance rates will be lower if range conditions are poor as well as it is in the sand in Wilson county. Its july-august dry and the forage is burning up fast unfortunately...

[lovemylegacy]

lol. I've been given near heart attacks like that before. $45 gone with the wind...



I usually leave a split queenless for a couple of days before introducing the new caged queen. The old queens pheromones exist throughout the hive on the eggs and larvae. It helps with acceptance rate, and remember just because she makes it a week they may still supersede her. If she makes the 4-5 week mark she'll likely be there till she swarms. Acceptance rates will be lower if range conditions are poor as well as it is in the sand in Wilson county. Its july-august dry and the forage is burning up fast unfortunately...

This happen to me. Took some bad advice on removing the present Queen cell. Well, the hive has killed the Queen I put in the hive, now no brood, I fear the hive is doomed. It appeared they took to her, they freed her from the cage, she was moving about freely. Now she is gone.

[lovemylegacy]

Bump this to the top.

My son and I are rescuing a hive on Friday. Updates to come.

[lovemylegacy]

Couple of pics from a hive removal today. Probably about 6 1/2' of hive.