We been rain free for a couple of days now but they are forecasting rain every day for the next week starting tomorrow. Go figure. So the rush was on and I needed to get the hives I mentioned yesterday all upgraded with another brood chamber before they started spitting out swarms once again. Also as I mentioned yesterday it was time for the little Nuc swarm I caught to graduate up to a full hive.
Without going into the hives yet I estimated I needed six more brood chambers and 55 frames.
This is where my little wooden carryall really shines and what I originally designed the thing for. Since I built it a few months ago I have used this carry all for everything from transporting grain, square bales, bags of topsoil and cinder blocks to a 200+ pound dead ewe and everything in between. I just backed the 8N up to the bee storage shed and loaded everything I thought I would need putting the frames into the boxes as I went. Then before disturbing the bees I backed the tractor up close to the hives so all the boxes were right there.
After giving each hive scheduled for upgrading a good smoke whiff I started with the Nuc first and then worked my way down the line.
There were a lot of very upset bees let me tell you. Even with the smoke they were very unhappy with me. One reason I don't have an updated picture of the hives for tonight's post. If I get within line of sight of those hives right now the guard bees come screaming at me.
As it turned out one of the hives wasn't ready for another brood chamber yet so I only used five brood boxes and 45 new frames. After this year's growth I am needing to seriously order in some new stuff. I think I am down to only a couple of brood chambers and frames left now. Of course I usually lose a hive or two over Winter so I am sure some stuff will be freed up before next year's growth spurt. As it stands now I think I will slow down once I reach 20 hives and maybe begin selling some surplus each year but we will see.
It did appear that most of last year's hives have almost full surplus supers on them now. I guess the last couple of dry days allowed them to get the moisture out and cap off some honey.
I think another pull is in order soon.
I hope to get caught up on comment replies tonight.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!!
So perhaps I missed it somewhere Preppy, but how many hives are you up to?
ReplyDeleteTB - I have 16 currently. I was upto 15 in 2012 when I lost almost all of them that Winter due to the drought. I think I was back down to 3 hives that spring. Because of those losses I haven't had to buy much new woodenware again until recently.
DeleteDroughts suck.
Very nice. Yay bees!
DeleteABSOULTELY EXCELLENT POST! ALL UR HONEYS ARE BELONGS TO ME!
ReplyDeletesending much love bro. and i think i should get a job as an internet troll. i gots the lingos down just fines no?
your friend,
kymber
(and one of these years i better get a tiny jar of honey from the small hold. jes' sayin')
kymber - Maybe this will be the year. I will lie and tell them I am sending you nothing liquid or organic. It might work.
Deleteteehee. i am sure if you just label it "home-made moonshine" it will pass easily through customs!
DeleteMaybe the rain is bad for a lot of the pest insects that try to get into the hives. I left clover growing in the garden in a couple of places and bees are attracted to it but I seldom see one on a vegetable bloom, it seems like bumble bees and small native bees that I can't identify like the beans and squash blooms. Lots of wild flower/weeds blooming in the fields now. Bee lives matter!
ReplyDeleteSf - I think the rain made the ants attempt to infiltrate the hives even more. It may have cut down on the wax moths and worms though as I have not seen any tell tale signs of them.
DeleteI have noticed my bees will work the cucubit blooms all day and that's about it from the garden stuff. I have walked out and noticed very few bees working the locally planted soybeans too over the years. Not sure why except maybe they are just planting a non-nectar producing GMO variety. Honey bees seem to go for quantity over quality from what I have seen normally.
It sounds like they are doing well. So why are they angry with you? Are they too squeezed?
ReplyDeleteRuss - Oh I am sure I squished mroe than a few taking the top supers off and adding the new ones on. Honey Bees get really mad when you kill their sisters. Not to mention they had drone brood in the burr comb that I ended up killing as well. Makes em really mad even with smoke. Without smoke they will literally cover you.
DeletePP,
ReplyDeleteYour bees don't want to be messed with......they're showing whose the boss, lol....
Sandy - The bigger a hive gets and the closer it gets to Fall the meaner they get too. By late August and September it can be risky getting to close to them.
Delete