What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?

[Terri Yaki]

I don't know Terri. I bet you can guess where this one was made! 

Phillip

I already know it's not made down under.

My neighbor texted me and reports that his uncle/mentor is coming over today to peek inside the hives so I'll go down there and take a lesson. We had a couple of days around 70 but we're into a cooling trend and today we're looking at about 55 or so. I've been watching for bees in the air but haven't seen any up this far yet. I'm seeing pictures on Reddit and fakebook of folks who are catching swarms in the south and I'm getting kind of antsy. For the next week, they're predicting highs in the 40s but after that, we should get a steady warming trend. Next class is Tuesday and the itinerary is lifecycles and duties of the bees, I'm looking forward to it.

[Ben Framed]

I don't know Terri. I bet you can guess where this one was made! 

Phillip

I already know it's not made down under.

My neighbor texted me and reports that his uncle/mentor is coming over today to peek inside the hives so I'll go down there and take a lesson. We had a couple of days around 70 but we're into a cooling trend and today we're looking at about 55 or so. I've been watching for bees in the air but haven't seen any up this far yet. I'm seeing pictures on Reddit and fakebook of folks who are catching swarms in the south and I'm getting kind of antsy. For the next week, they're predicting highs in the 40s but after that, we should get a steady warming trend. Next class is Tuesday and the itinerary is lifecycles and duties of the bees, I'm looking forward to it.

So far so good. You have eliminated one of 195 recognized countries where it could have been made. lol Of course China is the answer... I found on a sticker.

I enjoy hearing of folks bee adventures, especially new beekeepers as well as soon to be beekeepers as yourself. Keep the reports of your adventures coming!
Thumbs up!

Phillip

[cao]

I checked my hives a few days ago for the first time this year.  About 50 made it through the winter (lost 13).  Found a few drones walking around in a couple hives and lots of drone brood in all stages.  Saw queen cups in several hives.  No white wax yet.  Added boxes to about half my hives.  Going to start splitting hives in a couple weeks.  Looks like swarm season is coming a couple weeks early this year.  Got 40 or 50 boxes with frames cleaned and ready to go on hives.  Will need to get some more ready.  Those will go fast once the splitting starts.

[The15thMember]

One of my hives was acting very congested this afternoon, with a bunch of bees just bearding out under the landing board, so I opened up their entrance reducer and gave them another box.  Not sure if it's swarming prep or not, but they responded by going in almost immediately. 

[Terri Yaki]

Was at the opening at my neighbor's hive today. He's down to one hive right now but it is alive and well. It must be about six boxes tall with three honey supers on top, then one deep and two mediums below that. The three supers up top were heavy with honey and the deep looked like a lot of empty comb to me. The bottom two mediums were full of life and there were even some larvae in the comb on top of their frames. I didn't see any drone brood but saw a good bit of worker brood. But I did get distracted for a while talking to the other people who were there. We did not see the queen but we did see eggs in comb so she's around somewhere. I got stung on the second knuckle on one of my fingers but the stinger did not get left behind. It hurt a bit but didn't swell up at all. So far, so good.

[The15thMember]

Sounds like it was a great time, Terri!    So is your neighbor going to harvest some of that honey?  I'm just curious as to why he'd have so much honey on at this time of year. 

[Terri Yaki]

IIRC, they combined hives at the end of the season last year after one of them absconded and they didn't feel like extracting it. Well...they didn't feel like cleaning the extractor after extracting it.

[Terri Yaki]

Now, a day and a half later, my knuckle is itchy and swollen.

[The15thMember]

That will happen sometimes.  For me, I get immediate crazy swelling, which then goes down, and then it will get red and itchy.  But sometimes, if it's not a bad sting, which yours probably wasn't, since she didn't leave the stinger, I'll get just minor swelling or none at all, and then the red and itchy will follow.  I've had times where I didn't even know I was stung until a few days later I had a red itchy welt.  Every sting is a little bit different.   

[Occam]

Got my first inspection in yesterday afternoon. Was around 60ish, light 10-15 mph breeze out of the north. Was in and out pretty quickly. My 12 y/old wants to learn beekeeping so she stuck by my side the whole time. We'll put more frames together this week one evening.

One hive had 3 frames of resources, 4 brood, and a few mixed. Overall looking pretty good. Lots of drone comb but no walking drones yet. Second box on that hive had a little resources left in it and several partially formed frames of comb they were building last year. No white comb yet this year although I imagine it will start soon, I did see festooning on a foundationless frame. No swarm cells yet but not much room in the heavy box so I moved a couple frames around opening the brood nest with some foundationless. Queen (yellow dot) has a very solid pattern, saw all stages of eggs and larvae

Second hive is small, but they started winter small with only 5 frames. They're in a long langstroth hive, so I had the follower board against them all winter. A piece of starter strip had fallen out of a frame and the comb was attached at the bottom to another frame. Somehow I missed gluing that strip I guess and the comb they built was too heavy. I pulled that failed piece out and put in some sugar as they're a little light on resources and  nectar is barely present right now. Queen (no dot, she's from a late swarm last year and I never marked her) has a good pattern as well. A little drone comb but no walking drones

[Ben Framed]

I thinks it great that you and your daughter are in unisons, working together with your bees! 🐝.

I have made the same mistake of missing glue on a strip with the same results !   

Phillip

[Terri Yaki]

How many drones is normal? Are there times when they are greater in number than others? If so, what is the significance of that? Since they don't do much and do eat the resources, I would expect their numbers to be minimal.

[The15thMember]

Drones generally constitute around 20% of the brood nest during a flow in a strong colony (provided the bees aren't on foundation).  They are kicked out of the hive before winter, and many colonies will also kick them out and cease rearing drone brood during a dearth.  Flying drones aren't loyal to a colony, and are generally allowed to enter and exit any hive to eat and rest provided the colony feels they can support them.  I will often see an abundance of drones hanging around colonies with queen cells, because they are attracted to the virgins' pheromones.   

[Michael Bush]

"The 15th Member's" answer is precisely correct on all counts.

[The15thMember]

"The 15th Member's" answer is precisely correct on all counts.

Wow!  Thanks, Michael. 

[cao]

Just a little addition to 15th's answer.  I have seen drones being kicked out of one hive while being welcomed into the hive next to it.

[Michael Bush]

>>I have seen drones being kicked out of one hive while being welcomed into the hive next to it.

Which she covered somewhat with:

>I will often see an abundance of drones hanging around colonies with queen cells, because they are attracted to the virgins' pheromones.   

I will add that queenless hives even without cells will attract drones and they will not be kicked out.  And, also I agree, there may not even be a reason, it may just be genetic variability that causes one colony to kick them out when another is welcoming them still.

[Ben Framed]

I have seen drones in abundance in late Fall, (one season in particular). OldBeavo, a migratory beekeeper from Australia, had some interesting things to say about that in return.

Laying Worker hives, 'queenless hives', produce drones. I am supposing it would be natural that they would accept them as well?

[Michael Bush]

>I am supposing it would be natural that they would accept them as well?

Yes.

[Ben Framed]

>I am supposing it would be natural that they would accept them as well?

Yes.

👍🏻
Thanks Mr Bush....