Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
MEMBER BULLETIN BOARD => GREETINGS/TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF => Topic started by: alewyfe on May 26, 2013, 01:22:21 am
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Hoping to learn lots on this forum. My mail carrier told me her sub was a beekeeper and gave me his card. He was doing the rounds today, so I was waiting to talk to him near my mailbox. While standing there I spotted a lot of insect activity. Wandered over to inspect it and found a lovely large swam about 4 feet off the ground in a pine tree. Ran and got a box, shook the swarm into it and then managed to get the box shaken into a 10 hive box with about 5 or 6 frames in it.
Needless to say, I missed the mailman who I was going to ask to mentor me in beekeeping,and I now have a deep hive box with a bunch of bees in it. The frames are kind of kitty wumpass and I would love to put the rest of the frames in it, but I don't know what to do at this point. I tried earlier today to open the lid and when I did, hundreds of bees swarmed out. I replaced the lid and eventually they all went back in.
It is now dark, and I have moved the hive up to close to where I would ultimately want it, but I don't know how or when I should try and put the rest of the frames in. There is no comb on the frames in the hive, just foundation and there is no food in there for them. Please advise what I should do so that I don't lose them and also so that I don't cause them any harm or starve them. The hive is currently closed with the opening blocked.
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do you have any gear? smoker, veil, anything?
in the morning, i would get the other frames in. you want them tight together toward the middle. any extra space should be to the sides. you have foundation in the frames, that's all they need.
then.is your blackberry or anything else blooming? if so, give us a list. it would not hurt to take a canning jar, poke some smallish nail holes in the lid, fill it with 1:1 sugar syrup and place that jar either over the inner cover opening if you have an inner cover. if not, let us know and we can tell you other ways to feed.
you may not need to if your stuff is blooming.
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Thank you for the quick response. Blackberry is starting to bloom. I have prepared some sugar syrup 1:1
with a little honeyBhealthy in it. I have a frame feeder. Besides the deep box that I captured them in, I have a medium box with frames too. That is all I have for housing at this time. I have a suit and smoker.
Would it be better to wait till morning to try and put the other frames in? Would they be less likely to take off at night on me? I could try it tonight. I have them in a place where I have enough light to see what I'm doing, but I just don't know when the best time would be. I have moved the box from where I collected them, so I know I have to let them orient by blocking up the entrance with shrubs and stuff when I do open the entrance.
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It should be morning now, I would go ahead a move them where you want them, they are still closed up right. Place some branches in front so they orient themselves, open, put in the frames and feeder with sugar syrup, restrict the entrance some and replace top. Welcome to the forum, and beekeeping, Alewyfe.
Good luck to you and your bees.
Joe
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Thank you Joe. I was very anxious to get the hive straight so I opened it at 6am while it was still cool. Bees were pretty sleepy so I was able to shift things and get a total of 9 frames in and pushed to the center. I don't currently have a 10th frame. I do have a frame feeder however. Should I put that in, or leave them alone?
I have not moved the hive to it's final location yet, or opened the entrance. I will do that as soon as my
husband is awake and can assist with the lift/carry .
Got my first sting too! Feel properly initiated now ;)
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since you didn't put the feeder in and since the blackberry is starting, i would not mess with them again for about a week. they are probably from not to far away and they will quickly find the food. don't worry about not having a 10th frame as long as the 9 you put in are tight together. you'll end up with some mess on the sides, but you can fix that next time you get in and in one week it shouldn't be much.
if you really want to feed...our weather sucks, but don't know about yours, rather than getting back in there, use the jar feeder method if you have an inner cover with a hole.
other than that, i'd leave them alone.
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Welcome from Douglas County Georgia. :)
David
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Thanks all. Bees are settling in their proper location. Learned I should have put them where I wanted them in the first place instead of on my deck even though the hive was all closed up. Those Queen pheremones are strong. Lots of the girls kept wanting to hang out on the deck this afternoon.
Thanks for the help and the welcomes. I am so looking forward to learning as much as I can from these wonderful little creatures.
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Sounds like your having some fun getting started. Welcome to our group alewyfe.
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WOW!
What a great way to start out! Is this your first hive? Pretty lucky to catch a swarm right away.
I would start putting some extra equipment together.
Good luck!