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OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FORUM / Re: Biking, kayaking, canoeing,hiking, running
« Last post by Terri Yaki on March 16, 2025, 07:38:31 pm »A couple of goats would have made that hike more entertaining. 
Recent Posts
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OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FORUM / Re: Biking, kayaking, canoeing,hiking, running
« Last post by The15thMember on March 16, 2025, 05:48:32 pm »Spring is here and with it, hiking season begins! We started out this year with the Pink Beds loop in Pisgah National Forest. We did the short loop, so it was only 3 miles, and with almost no elevation change, it was a nice easy place to start. We had never hiked this trail before, but it has a reputation for being muddy. It has been VERY dry here recently though, so the trail was in good condition. One bridge was washed out from Helene, so we did have to get our feet a little bit wet at one point. There were some big downed trees, but none on the trail. This area also had a fire in 2022, and a lot of the dead trees were blackened in the forest. My sister brought her pet chicken Beaky along. She likes hiking, but she doesn't have the stamina to walk the whole way, and she isn't always the best at following the group, as she gets distracted by wanting to scratch along the trail, but she had a good time anyway. 
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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?
« Last post by The15thMember on March 16, 2025, 04:52:43 pm »In my experience, colonies are typically very happy and easy-going in the spring. Once the first flow hits, they are very busy trying to build up as fast as possible and nobody is thinking about robbing or winter. Colonies also aren't very big yet, so they are easy to manage. Spring is when I like to have guests in the apiary, because I'm reasonably sure no one is going to get stung.
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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?
« Last post by Terri Yaki on March 16, 2025, 04:15:53 pm »And so far, the hive has been amazingly docile. I smoke 'em to drive them off the top of the frames but they're not getting cranky on me and today, there is obviously a storm looming. I thought that might make them want to be left alone but it didn't make any difference.
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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?
« Last post by Terri Yaki on March 16, 2025, 03:58:39 pm »Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?
« Last post by The15thMember on March 16, 2025, 03:02:32 pm »That sounds like a very normal thing to do to me. Especially since they are starting to draw.
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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?
« Last post by Terri Yaki on March 16, 2025, 12:38:11 pm »Forgive me father, for I have sinned...I have gone against the experience and wisdom of my senior beeks and rearranged my center box as my gut told me to. It's a deep with nothing but honey in it (about 65% full) and some blank frames. I pulled the blank frames, pushed the honey to the outside and inserted three frames of comb. One of those frames is a medium that I stuck in a deep and they filled in below the frame. That section has a good bit of drone comb on it. I also found one frame of empty comb to the outside of the box so that gives them four (4) frames of empty comb to party in as they please, in the center of the hive. The three frames that I pulled are in the freezer for sterilization of pests. I also pulled the top box, which is/was completely empty to facilitate feeding. And they were starting to build burr comb. Not in the top box, in the middle box.
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EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS / Re: medium depth 3 frame mating nucs
« Last post by buzzbee on March 16, 2025, 09:19:57 am »Is this what your looking for Michael?
https://beevac.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Coates5FrameNuc.pdf
https://beevac.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Coates5FrameNuc.pdf
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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Horizontal Waggle Dance
« Last post by Ben Framed on March 15, 2025, 08:24:00 pm »Thanks Reagan. Very interesting topic.
Mr Van posted a very good detailed topic on the explanation of the waggle dance and one of the featured topics in the stickie section of General Beekeeping as some may not know. . I am almost positive he was referring to the dance in his explanation as being vertical? Anyway I am going to post the whole thing here for those who may be interested. Which will also be a good tool for discussion for comparison to your horizontal waggle dance question.
Adding there was good discussion by members on Mr Vans explanation back then, several replies:
https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=51143.msg451249#msg451249
>I believe most beeks are familiar with the waggle dance of a bee which directs other forage bees to a good source, (telling) the forage gees the DISTANCE and DIRECTION of the food source.
I intend to explain this dance very simply:
First DISTANCE. This is easy, one second of waggles for each 3,300 feet (1000 meters.) Pay attention to only the waggle time, that is the length of time the bee shakes, waggles it?s abdomen. After the waggle the bee will make a loop either to the right or left and return to its original position and waggle again and again. For distance pay no attention to the loops, only the length of time of the waggling abdomen. Two seconds of waggle equals 6,600 ft, 2000 meters, over a mile.
If a beeks feed the bees in the apiary the waggle is instant,,,,a split second, that is such a quick waggle as the dance looks more like a figure 8, because the distance is so short, only feet away.
Second DIRECTION. The waggling bee will always waggle in the same direction, again, pay no attention to the loops the bees make, note only the direction of the waggling bee. The direction of the waggling is the direction from the sun.
With your mind, draw a line as the bee waggles, the waggles will always be the same direction. A bee picks a starting point, waggles in a specific direction, then loops either to the right or left does not matter and returns to the same starting point to waggle in the same direction, again loops to the same starting point and waggles over and over IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
So: if the bee is waggling straight up on a verticle frame that means the direction of food is straight towards the sun, so fly towards the sun. If the bee waggles straight down on a frame that means the food source is away from the sun, or fly with the sun to your back to reach the food source.
If the waggle dance forms a line straight in the middle of the frame say to the right then that means exit the hive and fly to the right 90 degrees to the sun or east of the hive.
If the waggle line is to the left or directly horizontal to the frame, that means West, 90 degrees.
So if a bee waggles one second and the dance is straight DOWN on a frame, then the food source is appropriately 3300 feet directly away from the sun.
Waggle straight up, straight towards the sun.
Waggle straight down, away from the sun, opposite the sun.
Waggle to the right, fly out of the hive and go right of the sun, the precise angle.
Waggle to the left, fly out of the hive and go left of the sun......
What is important is to note the waggle only, just the time and direction. Pay no attention to the loops as the bee returns to the same starting point, the waggles only indicates direction and distance.
If I have caused confusion, please advise, I find it difficult to critique my own writings.
To simplify mankind orientates direction via a compass with reference to the North where as bees orientate direction via the sun. Now what is really amazing is a honey bee can accommodate for the sun rising and falling according to the time of day with the waggle dance cause early morning Sun is way different direction as a setting sun. Just ingenious little critters.
Wish all health and prosperity.
Blessings<
Mr Van posted a very good detailed topic on the explanation of the waggle dance and one of the featured topics in the stickie section of General Beekeeping as some may not know. . I am almost positive he was referring to the dance in his explanation as being vertical? Anyway I am going to post the whole thing here for those who may be interested. Which will also be a good tool for discussion for comparison to your horizontal waggle dance question.
Adding there was good discussion by members on Mr Vans explanation back then, several replies:
https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=51143.msg451249#msg451249
>I believe most beeks are familiar with the waggle dance of a bee which directs other forage bees to a good source, (telling) the forage gees the DISTANCE and DIRECTION of the food source.
I intend to explain this dance very simply:
First DISTANCE. This is easy, one second of waggles for each 3,300 feet (1000 meters.) Pay attention to only the waggle time, that is the length of time the bee shakes, waggles it?s abdomen. After the waggle the bee will make a loop either to the right or left and return to its original position and waggle again and again. For distance pay no attention to the loops, only the length of time of the waggling abdomen. Two seconds of waggle equals 6,600 ft, 2000 meters, over a mile.
If a beeks feed the bees in the apiary the waggle is instant,,,,a split second, that is such a quick waggle as the dance looks more like a figure 8, because the distance is so short, only feet away.
Second DIRECTION. The waggling bee will always waggle in the same direction, again, pay no attention to the loops the bees make, note only the direction of the waggling bee. The direction of the waggling is the direction from the sun.
With your mind, draw a line as the bee waggles, the waggles will always be the same direction. A bee picks a starting point, waggles in a specific direction, then loops either to the right or left does not matter and returns to the same starting point to waggle in the same direction, again loops to the same starting point and waggles over and over IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
So: if the bee is waggling straight up on a verticle frame that means the direction of food is straight towards the sun, so fly towards the sun. If the bee waggles straight down on a frame that means the food source is away from the sun, or fly with the sun to your back to reach the food source.
If the waggle dance forms a line straight in the middle of the frame say to the right then that means exit the hive and fly to the right 90 degrees to the sun or east of the hive.
If the waggle line is to the left or directly horizontal to the frame, that means West, 90 degrees.
So if a bee waggles one second and the dance is straight DOWN on a frame, then the food source is appropriately 3300 feet directly away from the sun.
Waggle straight up, straight towards the sun.
Waggle straight down, away from the sun, opposite the sun.
Waggle to the right, fly out of the hive and go right of the sun, the precise angle.
Waggle to the left, fly out of the hive and go left of the sun......
What is important is to note the waggle only, just the time and direction. Pay no attention to the loops as the bee returns to the same starting point, the waggles only indicates direction and distance.
If I have caused confusion, please advise, I find it difficult to critique my own writings.
To simplify mankind orientates direction via a compass with reference to the North where as bees orientate direction via the sun. Now what is really amazing is a honey bee can accommodate for the sun rising and falling according to the time of day with the waggle dance cause early morning Sun is way different direction as a setting sun. Just ingenious little critters.
Wish all health and prosperity.
Blessings<
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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Horizontal Waggle Dance
« Last post by The15thMember on March 15, 2025, 07:23:07 pm »https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C46ZsDQrij0
I took this video yesterday of a bee waggle dancing on the top bars in Queen Ariel's colony. If the dance's angle from vertical indicates the direction of travel with reference to the sun in waggle dance language, how does one interpret a horizontal waggle dance?
I took this video yesterday of a bee waggle dancing on the top bars in Queen Ariel's colony. If the dance's angle from vertical indicates the direction of travel with reference to the sun in waggle dance language, how does one interpret a horizontal waggle dance?