Recent Posts

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Community Feeding

« Last post by Kathyp on Today at 12:11:54 pm »

Timing is the key for those whose livelihoods depend upon it, at least to certain extents.

This is very true.  Robbing is usually less of an issue in spring and I have done open feeding in spring.  Of course, once things are blooming you don't need to feed at all.   

Has anyone actually seen the robbing of individual hives while community feeding is going on?

yes, but in my case open feeding attracted yellowjackets and other insects.  The YJs came in the latter summer anyway and robbed, but open feeding brought all kinds of things into my yard in numbers that would not have been there otherwise.  That's where the money issue came in for me.  I didn't feel like I needed to feed the entire insect world!

You can always do it and see how it works out over the course of the season.  We all experiment and that's part of learning.  You might have better luck with it than some of us.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Swarm Catching

« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 12:06:28 pm »

OK, that makes me feel a little better. I was afraid they'd be bothered by them and leave already. They're out there taking orientation classes. I think I'll leave them there for about ten days. Maybe even longer. They're not in the way where there are, they're just too high to work.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Community Feeding

« Last post by FatherMichael on Today at 11:32:30 am »

But if we feed only during dearth?

I suppose if you are precise in your timing and remove the feeder only when the flow is back on, it would keep the robbing risk down.

Has anyone actually seen the robbing of individual hives while community feeding is going on?

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Community Feeding

« Last post by gww on Today at 10:41:55 am »

ian feeds because he runs single deep hives and stores them inside over winter.  He is a honey producer and takes everything above a single deep and when the bees have brood there is not enough storage in a single deep for food as well.  Every decision has to be made with specific goals and does not translate to every other way of keeping bees.  He also has a much shorter season to work with then a lot of bee keepers being so far north.  It does not make sense for a bee keeper like me to just will nilly open feed due to possible impact on those around me.   

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Swarm Catching

« Last post by gww on Today at 10:33:36 am »

I never worry about ants.  Most hives defend themselves just fine and it they don't, they probably have other problems.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Swarm Catching

« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 08:45:28 am »

OK, I checked on them this morning to find the porch loaded with ants so I moved them back to the trapped location before they started flying. They don't seem to have liked being bothered though and they're kind of testy right now so I'm just going to leave them settle in and try to figure out where the ants came from. I also don't want them to pack up and leave me. A yellow jacket paid them a visit and got backed right back out the way she went in so they are defending their turf against invaders. I believe that the yellow jacket is a queen looking for a nesting place but I might be wrong on that. I have killed about six yellow jacket queens already this year, including one in my garden this morning. I have never seen so many yellow jacket queens before and my neighbors are reporting the same. I'm thinking that the winter was too easy on them and none of them died in harsh conditions. There are bees raising their tails in the air on the porch in what I believe is spreading a pheromone to tell others that this is their new home.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Community Feeding

« Last post by Ben Framed on Today at 08:23:02 am »

Sometimes! lol   

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Community Feeding

« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 06:45:48 am »

I once read that if you ask four different beeks a question, you?ll get five different opinions. Is that true? 

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Swarm Catching

« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 06:29:46 am »

Thanks, Ben.  Now I?m hoping that they don?t get mad that I moved them and vacate. Then I?ll reset and maybe I can help my buddy across the street get back online.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Swarm Catching

« Last post by Ben Framed on Today at 02:07:50 am »

Good job Pilgrim.