Posts Tagged ‘beekeeping’

Meet Bee-atrice…A Female Companion to Bee Beard

Posted in Hives, Log hives, Swarms, Videos, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 28, 2013| 10 Comments »

Bee-atrice is looking good.

Bee-atrice is looking good.  Okay, the yard sign on her head isn’t too flattering, but it was all I could come up with in a hurry.  We will fix that later.

 When Bee-atrice became aware of her beauty she developed a real attitude.  Her long golden hair, the color of the setting sun, a beauty mark on her face, and the fact that she was carved out of a hard wood by a professional wood carver made her vain.  In conversations, the iPod would always be pulled out to show how she was carved. She would tell people.  “I’m special.  I was carved out of myrtlewood which only grows on the Oregon Coast and in the Holy Land.”  We told her the brochures weren’t exactly true, myrtlewood also grew along the California Coast, and the kind in the Holy Land was a different variety.  She would counter with the fact that “Myrtlewood” is the only wood still in use as a base “metal” for legal tender,  “besides my mouth was carved ‘open’ so I can sing.”  I think she fashioned herself as some kind of diva or something.

We decided to place her near Bee Beard.   We just figured they’d hit it off because they had so much in common.  One look at Bee Beard and she realized her open mouth was carved to let bees pass in and out.  She was shocked and humiliated…stomped off in a huff. I couldn’t figure it out.  Bee Beard has never complained about anything, not even once.  He’s been through a whole year of wind, rain, and bees.   It’s true we’ve never smoked him or bothered him much, I just figured Bee-atrice would be the same.  Not so…“I don’t want to be next to him and I don’t like bamboo.  It attracts wasps. “  We ended up promising her a one of a kind Easter hat and face her into the sun so it could shine on her beautiful golden hair.  She gave in to the flattery, but there was no way she would agree to be near Bee Beard or even to look at him.

The bees first couple of nights were spent here in the upper corner of log.

The bees first couple of nights were spent here in the corner of log.

I've always wanted to note the temperature of the hive.

I’ve always wanted to note the temperature of the hive.

I'm surprised this is only 83 F (28 C) I wish I could see inside better, but I'll have to wait until the combs are visible in the observation window.

I’m surprised the temp is only 83 F (28 C) I wish I could see inside better, but I’ll have to wait until the combs are visible in the observation window.

A short video show bees already bringing in pollen on Day 6

Bee-atrice gets a bonnet

The start of the project

Bee-atrice…the Carving

Preparing Bee-atrice Log Hive for Prime Time

Hal started it all

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A Tree Hive

Posted in Bait Hives, Hives, Swarms, tagged , , , , , on April 25, 2013| 5 Comments »

Tree hive, and how it got here

Lucky number 7…I caught bees in this bait box last year, so it was a good choice to use.

Yesterday I caught a swarm from Bee Beard Log hive and put it into my back-up Warre.

I thought I had some time to finish my second log hive before another swarm would take place.  Not so.  On April 18 two more swarms came out.  These are cast swarms…more than likely the queen has not been mated yet.  What to do?  I had already used my back-up Warre and there were some work responsibilities staring me in the face…deadlines that couldn’t be put off any longer because “people are depending on you, Pat!”  Okay, I’ll get the deadlines done first and get the bees figured out in the morning…it rained all night.  My wife suggested I adapt a bait box.  Last year after reading McCartney Taylor’s book on swarm bait hives, I had built nine swarm bait boxes  and placed them in different spots hoping to attract a swarm.  I was successful in two of them.  One I gave away and lucky number 7 went into my new log hive.

After some initial resistance, I realized she had a good idea.  The box is already built.  I just need to add some Warre length top bars…it’s also a good size of 40 liters as recommended by Tom Seeley in his book “Honeybee Democracy.”

First job is to wax up some top bars…

Painted melted wax on top bars

Painted melted wax on top bars

Prewaxed top bars installed into former swarm bait box after scorching the inside.

Three waxed top bars installed into former swarm bait box after scorching the inside.

The above picture shows only three top bars.  I added a total of 12 because I wasn’t sure when I’d get another Warre and at the time I wanted to be able to add these bees to my next log hive if I ever get it done.  I also tapped some panel nails in to keep the bars from sliding when I tilt hive with bees into the tree.  The bars have a slot for the nails, so they will lift out easily.

I like the idea of a ‘quilt box,’ so I cut another bait hive down to make one.

Hardware cloth on the bottom keeps the burlap 'quilt' from getting glued to the bars. That way the sawdust won't spill into the brood box.

Hardware cloth on the bottom keeps the burlap ‘quilt’ from getting glued to the bars. That way the sawdust won’t spill into the brood box.

I drilled several holes into the quilt box covering them with screen.  That way the hive can breathe and keep the hive scent.  I used myrtlewood sawdust for two reasons…feral bees live in myrtlewood trees and I had a lot of it left over from hollowing out my next log hive.  Actually some of my bees came from a feral hive in a myrtlewood tree last year.

I'm beginning to think bamboo is the ideal swarm catcher...this is the fourth swarm to land in bamboo.

I’m beginning to think bamboo is the ideal swarm catcher…this is the fourth swarm to land in it.

After bending branches and snipping them, we managed to get the majority of bees into the box.

"Hey everyone, the queen is over here in the box." (The bees are fanning the pheramone.)

“Hey everyone, the queen is over here in the box.” (The bees are fanning the nasonov pheromone.)

Day 5, they're bringing back pollen already...a sign of a laying queen.

Day 5, they’re bringing back pollen already…a sign of a laying queen.

A short video of swarm activity.  The main video that shows us getting the swarm in the box has disappeared due to Pat’s incompetence.

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Bee Beard Log Hive Swarm #2

Posted in Feeding sugar, Hives, Natural Beekeeping, Swarms, Warre Hive, tagged , , , , , on April 24, 2013| 4 Comments »

This is what we were waiting for...Bee Beard's Prime Swarm, but it was waaay out of reach

This is what we were waiting for…Bee Beard’s Prime Swarm, but it was waaay out of reach

When we started keeping bees we read that a healthy hive will swarm, at least once every year.  Our goal was to get through the winter without feeding, medicating, or miticiding. The swarm would be our sign of success.  On a warm day March 30th, that’s what happened.  We heard the loud buzzing, came out to witness the bees heading up to the top of a nearby spruce tree.  I even tried ‘tanging,’ banging a spoon on a pan to create noise so they wouldn’t go far and would form near the ground.  I was wildly unsuccessful.  This would have been the swarm to get, but it was clearly out of reach.

Swarm #2 is within reach

Swarm #2, April 17 is within reach

Swarm number 2 is withing reach, but the 2nd log hive isn’t ready for it yet…I’ll have to stick it into the ‘back-up Warre.”

Let's try out this bamboo swarm catcher so I won't have to use a ladder

Let’s try out this bamboo swarm catcher so I won’t have to use a ladder

Well I ended up using a ladder to cut the bamboo and let the swarm drop into the white sail cloth basket.

My wife noticed some bees on the ladder...we brought it near the hive for them to crawl in, but looking closer, they were fanning. The queen must be here. We gathered them up and placed them into the hive.

My wife noticed some bees on the ladder…we brought it near the hive for them to crawl in, but looking closer, we noticed they were fanning. The queen must be here. We gathered them up and placed them into the hive.

After the bees were dropped in, we added the top bars with comb attached…hoping they would stay attached once I hung them in the hive.

Top bars with old comb melted on. Quilt box in background

Top bars with old comb melted on. Quilt box in background

I had already built the sugar frame shown below.

Sugar for comb building pm a couple of sheets of blank newsprint.

1/2 inch hardware cloth will hold up sugar if using newsprint.

Premixed sugar recipe laying on a couple sheets of blank newsprint

Premixed sugar  laying on a couple sheets of blank newsprint for the Warre hive #2

We slid the sugar frame into place.

Sliding the sugar frame into place

Sliding the sugar frame into place

Next comes the quilt box.

Next comes the quilt box.

Top it off with the roof. Matt Reed of beethinking.com, you made a nice hive kit.

Top it off with the roof. Matt Reed of beethinking.com, you made a nice hive kit.

Bees flying orientation flights.

Bees flying orientation flights.

Through the observation window we can see the bees working. No new natural comb can be seen yet, but it won't be long.

April 23…through the observation window we can watch the bees working. No new natural comb can be seen yet, but it won’t be long.

April 26, Natural comb can be seen on Day 9.

April 26, Natural comb can be seen on Day 9.

 

Where this and other swarms are coming from…Bee Beard Log Hive.

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A Bully Bee?

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, tagged , , , , on April 10, 2013| 6 Comments »

Outstretched front legs to grab bee

Hey you, get out of there…

I was shooting video on the bees pollinating our flowering cherry tree when to my surprise I saw a bee actually pull another bee off a blossom.

You're going down...

You’re going down…

The bully bee then flew off, not even partaking of the nectar.  So why did she pull the first one off?

Here’s a video capturing the play-by-play…

Here’s another example of bees interacting on a blossom

…and a bee brushing a different insect off the side of a crocus.

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A Face Mask on Bee Beard Log Hive

Posted in Hives, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 29, 2013| 14 Comments »

On a hot day in late March, the bees step out for some fresh air and dancing.

On a hot day in late March, the bees step out for some fresh air and dancing.

It's a hot day for us on the Oregon Coast in late March.

It’s unusably warm on the Oregon Coast today.

The lower bee has been fanning for awhile. While I was photographing, this other bee came out and fed her? I don't know if that's what it is, but from here, that's what it looked like.

The lower bee has been fanning for awhile. While I was photographing, this other bee came out and fed her? I don’t know if that’s what it is, but from here, that’s what it looked like.

Pat's next log hive progresses...much work still to be done before ready for bees.

Pat’s next log hive progresses…much work still to be done before ready for bees.

Some bees are still outside the hive, at 10 pm. and 49 deg. F (9.4C)

Some bees are still outside the hive, at 10 pm. and 49 deg. F (9.4C)

This hive swarmed the next day.  I missed the prime swarm but got the second swarm into a back-up Warre.

Swarm number 4 went into a tree hive.

Swarm #3 got mixed into swarm #5 that went into Bee-atrice log hive.

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Warre Worries Waning

Posted in Feeding sugar, Hives, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged , , , , , on March 27, 2013| 6 Comments »

After I added a frame of sugar on top of the single brood box, October 25, 2012, I figured that would do it for the winter.  But at the bee meeting in January, we were advised to keep feeding into the spring.  It was important because the bees would be flying more and using up the last of the honey stores…if the weather was bad, they wouldn’t be able to fly and could starve and all our efforts would be wasted.  Just to make sure I ask the natural beekeeping forum.  I was advised to super another box.

We opened the hive on a sunny February day, adding more sugar on top of the brood box, then added an empty box on top.  Inside the empty box hung a bit of comb on two top bars that measured about 2 inches (5 cm) down.  I figured the bees would come through the slits, eat the sugar which would give them energy to build more comb.

Sugar frame added 2-15-13. Slits cut through newsprint to allow bees access to sugar from bottom box.

Feb. 15,  More sugar  added. Slits cut through newsprint to allow bees access to sugar from bottom box.  The chunks of sugar on the right of center was all that was left of the batch we placed in October.

February 17, 2013 Bees feeding on new sugar above brood box

February 17, 2013 Bees feeding on new sugar above brood box

The bees came up through the slits no problem, ate at the sugar, but stopped there.  They would overnight on the sugar…soon it was covered in bees.  They didn’t have any desire to build on the comb slightly above their heads.  Meanwhile the bees were crowding out the single brood box.

The box is getting crowded...March 3, 13

March 3…This box is getting very crowded…

What to do???  Okay, here’s a plan…if they like the sugar so much, let’s place the sugar frame above the empty box.  They’ll sniff out the sugar, climb up the comb to the sugar, and build out their comb.

Placing sugar frame above both boxes

March 9…Adding more sugar to the frame and placing it above top boxes

We waited a few days before we realized the bees were NOT going up to the sugar and certainly NOT building up more comb.  Meanwhile the bees were getting even more crowded in the brood box.

I go back to the beekeeping forum and notice that Bernhard has added some info about using ‘ladders,’ along with some very excellent photos taken with his expensive macro lens.

Should I try to buy foundation for the Warre…I don’t want to use plastic in my ‘natural’ hive, and I don’t want to use wax that might carry disease, but I do have a bit of comb left over from a failed hive last year which had swarmed late, not queened successfully and was finished off by the wasps.  I piece it together.

Comb 'ladders' attached to bars. This pathetic looking comb has been in the freezer for 4 to 5 months. My wife will be happy to have the extra room

Comb ‘ladders’ attached to bars. This pathetic looking comb has been in the freezer for 4 to 5 months.   I don’t have much left so I hope this will encourage them to climb upstairs.

Adding the first ladder

March 24…Adding the first ladder

Adding the second ladder

And the second ladder…”Honey, how about trimming the grass in front of the hive?”

A short video showing the steps involved…

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GORSE: Bandon, Ireland to Bandon, Oregon

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2013| 9 Comments »

George Bennett

George Bennett    1827-1900

George Bennett wasn’t the first to visit Bandon from Ireland,  but he was the one who named the town in 1891, because it reminded him of his home town of Bandon, County Cork, Ireland.   His friend, Henry Hewitt Baldwin was the first.  Baldwin’s ship, the “Captain Lincoln” wrecked north of the Coos Bay bar in 1852 and he hiked into this area.  Baldwin persuaded his home town friend, George Bennett to settle here.  Lord Bennett and two sons arrived in 1873.  It is unclear how and when the title “Lord” was bestowed on him.  Some members of the Bandon Historical Society Museum are in agreement that he acquired the title on the journey from Ireland to here.  The former name of the town was Averill which is now the name of the Pioneer Cemetery where Lord Bennett is buried.

Averill Pioneer Cemetery, where Lord Bennett is buried.

Averill Pioneer Cemetery, where Lord Bennett is buried.

Lord Bennett is probably best known not for naming the town, but for bringing GORSE seeds to this area.

George Bennett brought gorse to Bandon

The conditions were just right for gorse which in the following decades went wild and became a nuisance in both the town and in the neighboring countryside.

To say gorse is a nuisance plant is probably an understatement.  It’s full of sharp spiny thorns, is impenetrable to walk through, and embodies an oil-type substance that makes it highly flammable.
In 1936, the Bandon Fire leveled the town,  gorse being a contributing factor.

My new hobby of beekeeping has sparked an interest in gorse.  When I joined the local bee club, I was advised that Bandon was not the best place for bees.  “Too damp and windy.”  I thought to myself maybe Bandon would have a slight advantage in the winter because of all the gorse growing here.  It starts to bloom early to  mid February and continues through late spring.  This would be a definite advantage in giving my bees a nectar and pollen source mid winter.

Some photographs of gorse.

Gorse growing in city limits

Gorse growing near town

Gorse can grow tall

Gorse can grow tall

Gorse pollen is orange...I had been hoping it was the yellow pollen I had seen going into the hive. February 13, 2013

Gorse pollen is orange…I had been hoping it was the yellow pollen I had seen going into the hive. February 13, 2013

Honey bee on gorse growing up the road from me.

Honey bee on gorse, up the road from me.

I love how these bees swagger when they are loaded with pollen...

I love how the bees swagger when they are loaded with pollen…

I realize that without special techniques to properly identify pollen, I can’t say for certain that all the orange pollen is from gorse.  Indeed, I could only find a small percentage of gorse with bees working it, but there is a lot of gorse that I don’t see.  My bees were bringing in a gobs of orange pollen through February and early March.  It’s possible this pollen could be coming from gorse.  I’d like to think so.

A short video showing bees working the gorse.

Footnote:  I checked with the The Federation of Irish Beekeepers Association.  They list gorse as a source of nectar of minor importance.

Some more photos…

Henry Baldwin's House, built sometime after the 1936 fire, now known as the Shindler House. Baldwin Cypress in foreground.

Henry Baldwin’s House, built sometime after the 1936 fire, now known as the Shindler House. Baldwin Cypress in foreground.

Baldwin Cypress now...Shindler house in background

Baldwin Cypress now…Shindler house in background

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Flowers blooming mid-winter

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Uncategorized, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2013| 8 Comments »

Could this be pollen from the laurel bush? It's been blooming since Jan. 22.

Could this be pollen from the laurel bush? It’s been blooming since Jan. 22. I know that you can’t tell by color alone, but at this time I don’t have the microscope or capability to properly identify pollen.

This is the first year I’ve had bees into winter.  I was curious about all the types of pollen showing up on the bees entering the hive.  I was sure some of it was gorse since we seem to have so much of it growing thanks to Lord Bennett of Ireland.

I made a 9 minute movie showing the bees on different types of flowers and Shigeo of the local bee association demonstrates how to transplant an Echium.  I realize that some people can’t spare the time, so I’m offering ‘screen saves,’ as well.

Laurel blooming by Bonnie's house

Laurel blooming by Bonnie’s house

Bee on laurel, tannish-colored pollen

Bee on laurel, tannish-colored pollen…January 22, 2013

Bees on rosemary, at City Hall, February 8, 2013

Bees on rosemary, at City Hall, February 8, 2013

Pussy Willows blooming near our hives...sun comes out...bees love it.

Willow catkins blooming near our hives…sun comes out…bees love it.  February 8,2013

Gorse pollen is orange...I had been hoping it was the yellow pollen I had seen going into the hive. February 13, 2013

Gorse pollen is orange…I had been hoping it was the yellow pollen I had seen going into the hive. February 13, 2013

The video shows this bee in slow motion working the pollen back to it's pollen sac. I didn't see it at first until a more experience bee keeper showed me. February 13, 2013

The video shows this bee in slow motion working the pollen back to it’s pollen sac. I didn’t see it at first until a more experience bee keeper showed me. February 13, 2013

Bee on heather, 2-14-13, right up the street from Tom and Karen's house.

Bee on heather, 2-14-13, right up the street from Joe and Karen’s house.

Bee on acacia, 2-15-13...Shigeo showed me this place to get some video. By the time we got to it, the bees were returning to home so I only got a short clip of it.

Bee on acacia, 2-15-13…Shigeo showed me this place to get some video. By the time we got to it, the bees were returning to home so I only got a short clip of it.

Shigeo shows how to transplant an Echium Tree.

Shigeo shows how to transplant an Echium Tree.

Echium for 2013...I'm hoping this plant will shoot up 10 feet (3 m) starting about April or May.

Echium for 2013…I’m hoping this plant will shoot up 10 feet (3 m) starting about April or May. The tarp protects against freezing weather.

These are the plants that Shigeo demonstrated in the video, how to transplant. They are my hope for 2014

These are the plants that Shigeo demonstrated in the video, how to transplant. They are my hope for 2014

We planted this in late October 2011. It just stared blankly at us for several months. April or May we noticed it had grown about 10 feet. The bees worked it for 3 solid months.

We planted this echium in late October 2011. It just stood still for several months. About April or May we noticed it had grown to about 10 feet. The bees worked it for 3 solid months.

The video shows the bees in action on the flowers.  I used the Canon SX-50 (50x optical zoom) on the laurel as well as the willow catkins.  My little pocket camera, a Sanyo Xacti performed admirably for the rest of the close ups…I love the ‘super macro’ feature.

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Bees Active in Winter

Posted in Hives, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 3, 2013| 13 Comments »

As a newbie beekeeper I thought the bees just kept within the hive during the winter, leaving the hive infrequently.  I know things are different on the coast because we rarely get snow, but we get loads of cold winds and driving rains.  So it’s to my surprise that the bees are so active.  They are actually bringing in pollen during January and early February.  I’m hoping the yellow pollen is gorse, because everyone around here hates gorse so much (with good reason…it’s blamed for burning the town down in 1936), I’d like to know gorse is good for something, especially since it usually blooms early February.

I’m concerned about the Warre hive. The top video shows the front of the hive with the bees bringing in yellow and orange pollen and through the observation window in back.   I’d like some advice from more knowledgeable beekeepers about what to do.  I almost nadired another box underneath, had planned for the forecasted hottest part of the day at 55 deg.F (12 deg.C) but then the temperature turned cool.  Should I add another box so they can grow into it before they swarm or should I wait for a few more weeks because the winter weather will return the latter part of February and into March?  Another box means they have to heat it.  I’ve got a dry sugar pad above the box as a just in case food source.

The log hive below looks very strong, lots of activity whenever the sun comes out and the temps are in the 50’s (10 C) bringing in pollen during January and February.  Those bees came from a feral tree hive.  I’m leaving them alone to fend for themselves.  I’m hoping the hive will act as an undisturbed ecosystem…bees adapting to survive mites and other pests.

Hope to have another log hive in place before they swarm.

Hollowing out the log  Carving the log

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Bees still flying in Late December

Posted in Hives, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 30, 2012| 11 Comments »

A long time beekeeper in the bee association warned me to expect 50% winter losses.   I thought to myself which hive am I going to lose, the one I’m reluctantly feeding or the log hive?

I realize this is only the beginning of winter, but both hives have already come through hurricane-force winds, weeks of steady rain, and a few recent frosty mornings.  The sun finally came out this weekend and to my happy surprise, both hives are still flying, even though the temperature was a mere 50 deg. F (10 deg. C)  The log hive is still bringing in a surprising amount of pollen.

I was able to shoot the 2nd part of this video with my new camera that sports a 50x zoom.  I don’t have to get as close to the hive now. 🙂

Hollowing out the log     Constructing the base     Bee Beard Gets Bees

Here’s a photo of the bottom board taken the next day…Some more experienced beekeepers say you can tell what’s inside the hive by reading the bottom board.  I see flakes of wax, but I’m not sure about the rest of it…

Warre Hive Floor Board...Learning how to read the floor board.

Warre Hive Floor Board…Learning how to read the floor board.  The layout of the bars are parallel with the bottom of this board.  What do you see?

When it's cold the bees hang out in the lower left of hive.

When it’s cold the bees hang out in the lower left of hive.

Status of bee hives one year later.

Here is Bernhard Zaunreiter’s assessment of my little Warre Hive…

PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:09 am    Post subject:
It is a very small colony. But since they made it until now, they most probably make it through winter and until Spring. It will be a difficult time in Spring, when the old winter bees die off and have to be replaced with young bees just in time. Just make sure you protect them from robbing in Spring. A big colony will surely assault such a small colony and wipe them out of life. So reduce and watch the entrance.Such a moldy floor only can be found in small colonies. The black stuff on the right of the picture is mold. It won’t harm the bees for now. So no worries. The black dirt ist bug poo, I think the hive has quite some wax moths. The common woodlice are wintering within the hive, but won’t harm the bees much. You could clean the floor board regularily, so you can notice the differences over the time. Once the first stripes and pollen appear on the board, they started brooding. Wipe the mold off with some vinegar, washing and drying it afterwards with a hair dryer.Plenty of stores, so no worries about that. Maybe you scrape open some honey cells from above in Spring, so the honey draws moisture and can be eaten up more quickly, leaving empty cells to lay eggs into. Just some combs at a time. The most critical thingin Spring are empty cells.

You can see his example of a  more healthy bottom board here…http://www.biobees.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=88786#88786 (as well as follow the thread)

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