Archive for June, 2013

Fixing the honey-bound problem

Posted in Hives, Honey bound, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged , , , , , on June 26, 2013| 5 Comments »

This beautiful box of honeycomb is 'welded' to the box below...to move it, I've got to cut the bottom of the comb. I'd like to do it without damaging it or killing bees.

This beautiful box of honeycomb is ‘welded’ to the box below…to move it, I’ve got to cut the bottom of the comb. I’d like to do it without damaging it or killing bees.

I only wanted to switch the third box (full of honeycomb) with the top box which was empty.  The box of honeycomb was blocking the empty, so it made sense to swap…but the honeycomb was attached to the bars in the box below.  If I just pried the box up, I might tear the combs apart leading to a real mess.  I consulted the forums…Bernhard suggests cracking the boxes a bit then taking a thin wire to slice through the bottoms of the combs to lift the box out.

I wound some stainless steel wire around some cut broomstick ends. I'll see-saw it back and forth to cut through comb.

I wound a short length of  stainless steel wire around some cut broomstick ends. I’ll see-saw it back and forth to carefully cut through comb.

After reading some of the experiences of beekeepers tearing apart combs I knew I wanted to avoid that.  The whole thing actually took less time than I thought…about 5 minutes.  It came apart with the minimum of damage.

I shot this video (sped up in parts to avoid the ‘yawn’ effect)

Warre hive details

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Hugelkulture update

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Gardening, Hugelkulture, tagged , , , , on June 21, 2013| 17 Comments »

We've got a good start, though some sunflower seedlings got chewed down by the slugs

6-3-13 We’ve got a good start, though some sunflower seedlings got chewed down by the slugs

Lots of self-seeded borage. The bees like it, but I'm going to have to thin it. I want the other plants to grow and I'm especially excited about the meadowfoam.

6-18-13 Lots of self-seeded borage. The bees like it, but I’m going to have to thin it. I want the other plants to grow and I’m especially excited about the meadowfoam which also is a self-seeding bee-loving flower.  The bee hives and the new bee flower garden are in the background.

My new motto is..."If the bees love it, leave it.

August 19, 2013…My new slogan is…”If the bees love it, leave it.”  The bees LOVE borage.  I let it grow in the Hugelkulture bed even though it’s not real pretty.  The pretty flower, Poached Egg Meadowfoam was also well liked by the bees, then the deer spotted it, now it’s gone.

Looking at the north side. Clearly I should have listened to my wife when she warned me that squash wouldn't do very well the first year.

Looking at the north side. Clearly I should have listened to my wife when she warned me that squash wouldn’t do very well the first year.  In that regard, it’s a failure…but the main goal was to grow plants that the bees love.  Nasturtiums never made the list.  Don’t let anyone tell you they are deer proof.  They are not and I never saw a bee get close to one.  The borage self-seeded itself and the bees love it, so rather than pull it, I’ll just let it grow.  The bees will sip nectar until late in the evening, so in that regard, it’s a success.  We also added 3 echium ‘trees’, which seem to be doing well.  We hope they will all shoot up to be “Towers of Jewels.”

The beginning of this project…

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HONEY BOUND!!!

Posted in Honey bound, Natural Beekeeping, Warre Hive, tagged , , , on June 19, 2013| 9 Comments »

My first Warre is the one on the left. It's the one I was really worried about not getting through the winter.

My first Warre is the one on the left. It’s the one I was really worried about not getting through the winter.  It wintered over with only one box which is now on the bottom.

I don’t know why I was so skeptical when people talked about getting honey bound.  I guess I never thought I’d get ANY honey at all because the summers on the coast are so windy and cool.  Our main goal was to provide a place for the bees to live, let them pollinate our flower and vegetable garden, and just take pleasure in watching them do their thing.

When we captured a swarm last year to inhabit the Warre, it was a small one which seemed to build the first box very quickly and then just stopped building.  I wintered over with just one box and on the advice of many more knowledgeable people, fed the bees a dry sugar paddy.

Bottom box (#1) over wintered successfully.

Bottom box (#1) over wintered successfully.  So we added box #2 in February.

On February 15, I added a second box.  When the bees wouldn’t fill it, I added some comb ladders on March 24th.   The bees immediately started building comb which is full now as can be seen below.

As soon as the comb ladders were added, the bees expanded on the combs so the queen could lay. When it was 3/4 full, I added a third box.

Box #2  As soon as the comb ladders were added, the bees built fast so the queen could lay. When it was 3/4 full, I added a third box.

Box #3 When box #2 was 3/4 full we added this box, but comb was getting scarce so I tried using t-posts with a melted wax coating. Small pieces of comb was 'welded' to the top bars.

When box #2 was 3/4 full we added box #3, but comb was getting scarce so I tried using t-posts with a melted wax coating to act as a ladder. Small pieces of comb was ‘welded’ to the top bars.

Box #3...adding t-posts with small bits of comb 'welded' to them.

Box #3…adding t-posts with small bits of comb ‘welded’ to them on April 2nd.

Box #3 built up so fast we added Box #4 on May 1.  But now we have this honey bound problem as can be seen below…

Box #3 is so full of honey, it's blocking the queen from getting into the top box.

Box #3 is so full of honey, it’s blocking the queen from getting into the top box.  The t-posts worked well.

We didn’t realize we’d get any honey…and really didn’t want to take any…UNLESS there was an excess while a nectar flow was on.   Oregon’s big nectar source of blackberries is going on right now, so   we will put this box #3 on top and the empty box #4 will be inserted between #1 and #2.  If they build that out, I’ll get to harvest the honey.

Fixing the Honey-bound problem

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Bee Flowers in May

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Bumblebees, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2013| 1 Comment »

This is actually a fly...I didn't know that while I was filming it, but I kept it in the movie so you could see the tongue. I'm wondering if this inspired 'Alien.'

This is actually a fly…I didn’t know that while I was filming it, but I kept it in the movie so you could see the tongue. I’m wondering if it inspired ‘Alien.’

This is the tail end of the kale flowers. In April, the bees were so busy on the kale you could hear the happy humming. In June when I'm finally posting this, the kale has been pulled and hung so the seed pods can dry out.

This is the tail end of the kale flowers. In April, the bees were so busy on the kale you could hear the happy humming. In June when I’m finally posting this, the kale has been pulled and hung so the seed pods can dry out.

We've worked up a flower garden near the bee hives. This is an Echium which was given to us by Shigeo who was very helpful with his "Big Dog" chainsaw carving out my Bee-atrice log hive.

We’ve worked up a flower garden near the bee hives. This honeybee is working an Echium which was given to us by Shigeo who was very helpful with his “Big Dog” chainsaw carving out my Bee-atrice log hive.

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Moving Bees from a Log to a Lang

Posted in Hives, Log hives, Videos, tagged , , , , , on June 3, 2013| 2 Comments »

This large hollow tree was found during a logging operation along the Oregon Coast.

During a logging operation along the Oregon Coast this Hemlock was found to have a bee hive.

If you’ve ever built anything using wood, chances are it came from a forest in the Pacific Northwest.  Douglas Fir, (scientific name Pseudotsuga menziesii),  is an incredibly valuable commercial timber, widely used in construction and building purposes.  A high percentage of Doug Fir grows in Oregon and is brought to the mills by loggers.  Logging is the 2nd most dangerous job in America.

During a logging operation, one of the heavy equipment operators noticed a hive of bees in a hollow log. Wanting to follow in the footsteps of his beekeeping mother, he asked Hal to transfer the bees to a hive box.  I’ve never been involved with a ‘cut-out,’ so when Hal asked if I was interested, I jumped at the chance.

I've never been involved with a 'cut-out,' so when Hal asked if I was interested, I jumped at the chance.

Natural comb can be seen in his hollow log.

Hal reaches in to cut out the first comb

Hal reaches in to cut out the first comb

The first comb is put into the Lang.

The first comb is put into the Lang.

One comb at a time is transferred to the Langstroth frames.

One comb at a time is transferred to the Langstroth frames.  The pre-mounted  rubber bands around the frame hold the comb in place.

Hal, extreme right, did the 'heavy lifting,' reaching in and cutting the combs out. Patti and Amber helped with the frames and tied string loops and Rod worked the smoker. Pat is on the left, but all he did was work the camera.

Hal, extreme right, did the ‘heavy lifting,’ reaching in and cutting the combs out. Patti and Amber helped with the frames and tied string loops while Rod worked the smoker. The cameraman  is on the left.

Pollen-packing bees after a long rainy spell, 5-31-13

Pollen-packing bees after a long rainy spell, 5-31-13

A video shows all the action.

The next challenge…

A hive under tree house on steep slope

A hive under tree house on steep slope

These bees swarmed up here "not that long ago and built comb like crazy" according to the owner. He'd like to get it removed so the kids can feel safe in the tree house above.

These bees swarmed up here “not that long ago and built comb like crazy” according to the owner. He’d like to get it removed so the kids can feel safe in the tree house above.

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